Gestational diabetes and overt diabetes first diagnosed in pregnancy: characteristics, therapeutic approach and perinatal outcomes in a public healthcare referral center in Brazil.

objectiveTo describe the clinical characteristics, management, and fetal outcomes of patients diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or overt diabetes (OD) during pregnancy who followed up at a public healthcare referral center in Brazil.

methodsA retrospective cohort study based on the medical records of women diagnosed with dysglycemia during pregnancy between January 2015 and July 2017 was conducted.

resultsOut of 224 pregnant women evaluated, 70% were overweight/obese. GDM was observed in 78.6% of pregnant women, while 21.4% presented with OD. Approximately 59% of patients could be diagnosed with GDM or OD by fasting plasma glucose (FPG) alterations alone. Exclusive diet therapy was used in 50.9% of patients. The need for insulin therapy was higher in OD patients (60.4%) than in GDM patients (38.1%) (p = 0.006). Women who needed insulin (n = 96) had a mean initial dose of 0.33 IU/kg (±0.27) and a final value of 0.39 IU/kg (±0.34). The cesarean rate was 74.3%. The fetal outcomes evaluated were macrosomia (2.15%), large for gestational age (LGA) fetus (15.83%), intensive care unit (ICU) need (4.32%), Apgar score ≤7 (6.47%), hypoglycemia (14.39%) and jaundice (16.55%).

conclusionPatients with GDM and OD presented with several similar clinical features. Approximately half of the patients presented with adequate glycemic control only with diet management. Patients with OD presented a higher need for insulin therapy. Although overweight and obesity were frequent within both groups, they could possibly explain many of our findings.