Does High HbA1c During Pregnancy Predict Postpartum Glucose Abnormalities?

Patients with highest HbA_1c at diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus were more likely to develop abnormal glucose tolerance after delivery.

As many as 60% of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) will develop type 2 diabetes within 5 to 10 years postpartum. Can glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA_1c) testing help identify those at greatest risk? Investigators conducted a retrospective cohort study of pregnant women with GDM treated at two clinics in a diabetes and pregnancy program in North Carolina from November 2000 through April 2010. HbA_1c tests were performed within 4 weeks of GDM diagnosis, and women were encouraged to undergo a 2-hour 75-g oral glucose tolerance test 6 weeks after delivery. Overall, 62% of the 277 women who provided data from both tests were nonwhite and overweight or obese (body-mass index ≥25 kg/m2) and 80% were using insulin or oral hypoglycemics.

The…

Reviewing Author

Diane J. Angelini, EdD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, NEA-BC

Disclosures

RoyaltiesOB Triage: Emergency Care Protocols (Springer Publications)

Editorial boardsJournal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing

Diane J. Angelini, EdD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, NEA-BC

Disclosures

RoyaltiesOB Triage: Emergency Care Protocols (Springer Publications)

Editorial boardsJournal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing

Does High HbA_1c During Pregnancy Predict Postpartum Glucose Abnormalities?

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Reviewing Author