Pregnancy: High Normal Blood Sugar Risky
Pregnancy: High Normal Blood Sugar Risky
Experts Question Whether Gestational Diabetes Limit Is Too High
May 7, 2008 -- Babies born to women with even slightly higher-than-normal blood sugar levels are at increased risk for a range of pregnancy and delivery-related complications, findings from an international study confirm.
The large study examined the risks associated with having elevated blood sugar during pregnancy that is not high enough to be considered gestational diabetes.
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More than 25,000 pregnant women from nine countries took part in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study, which appears in the May 8 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine and was largely funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Even a small rise in blood sugar above what is considered normal was associated with an increase in adverse outcomes, including high birth weight, C-section delivery, and preeclampsia, a complication that can lead to premature birth and can be deadly if not treated.
The findings make it clear that elevated blood sugar has a direct negative impact on pregnancy and delivery, study co-author Donald R. Coustan, MD, tells WebMD.
Coustan is professor and chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Brown University Medical School.
"This lays to rest many of the criticisms about gestational diabetes treatment," Coustan says. "The critics have said that it isn't elevated glucose that leads to negative outcomes, it is obesity or maternal age or some other risk factor. But we were able to control for these risk factors, and glucose was still a major determinant of outcomes."
One important question that remains unanswered is whether the threshold for treating high blood sugar in pregnancy should be lowered and if so, by how much.
"Because there was a continuous relationship that was even seen in women with glucose levels considered near normal, this study isn't very helpful for trying to pinpoint where the cutoff should be," Coustan says.
In an editorial accompanying the study, diabetes researchers Jeffrey Ecker, MD, and Michael Greene, MD, of Harvard Medical School, conclude that the current evidence does not support lowering the threshold for gestational diabetes diagnosis and treatment.
While women in the HAPO trial with higher blood sugar levels also had higher rates of delivering high birth-weight babies, they also gave birth to fewer babies who were small for their gestational age.
Pregnancy: High-Normal Blood Sugar Risky
Experts Question Whether Gestational Diabetes Limit Is Too High
May 7, 2008 -- Babies born to women with even slightly higher-than-normal blood sugar levels are at increased risk for a range of pregnancy and delivery-related complications, findings from an international study confirm.
The large study examined the risks associated with having elevated blood sugar during pregnancy that is not high enough to be considered gestational diabetes.
Pregnancy Videos
Video: Pain Relief forChildbirth
Video: Mercury andSeafood
Video: Choosing a Midwife
All Pregnancy-RelatedVideos
Pregnancy Week by Week
Track your growing baby and getpregnancy tips and support in our free newsletter.
Related to pregnancy
pregnancy symptoms, pregnancy calendar, due date calculator, pregnancy diet, fit pregnancy, ultrasound, morning sickness, conception, prenatal vitamins, gestational diabetes, weight gain, pregnancy tests, miscarriage symptoms
© 2008 WebMD, LLC. All rightsreserved.
More than 25,000 pregnant women from nine countries took part in the Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study, which appears in the May 8 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine and was largely funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Even a small rise in blood sugar above what is considered normal was associated with an increase in adverse outcomes, including high birth weight, C-section delivery, and preeclampsia, a complication that can lead to premature birth and can be deadly if not treated.
The findings make it clear that elevated blood sugar has a direct negative impact on pregnancy and delivery, study co-author Donald R. Coustan, MD, tells WebMD.
Coustan is professor and chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Brown University Medical School.
"This lays to rest many of the criticisms about gestational diabetes treatment," Coustan says. "The critics have said that it isn't elevated glucose that leads to negative outcomes, it is obesity or maternal age or some other risk factor. But we were able to control for these risk factors, and glucose was still a major determinant of outcomes."
Who Should Be Treated?
One important question that remains unanswered is whether the threshold for treating high blood sugar in pregnancy should be lowered and if so, by how much.
"Because there was a continuous relationship that was even seen in women with glucose levels considered near normal, this study isn't very helpful for trying to pinpoint where the cutoff should be," Coustan says.
In an editorial accompanying the study, diabetes researchers Jeffrey Ecker, MD, and Michael Greene, MD, of Harvard Medical School, conclude that the current evidence does not support lowering the threshold for gestational diabetes diagnosis and treatment.
While women in the HAPO trial with higher blood sugar levels also had higher rates of delivering high birth-weight babies, they also gave birth to fewer babies who were small for their gestational age.
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