Gestational diabetes mellitus: Maternal and perinatal outcomes in King Khalid University Hospital, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has increased worldwide, with a subsequent increase in the associated adverse pregnancy outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of GDM and to compare the maternal and neonatal outcomes of women with GDM with nondiabetic women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study investigating the maternal and the neonatal outcomes of women with GDM who delivered in King Khalid University Hospital as compared with the outcomes of nondiabetic women who delivered during the same period. The data were collected from the 1st of January to the 31st of December 2010 from the labor ward registry. The pregnancy outcomes of the women with GDM were compared with the outcomes of nondiabetic women who delivered during the same study period. RESULTS: Out of 3041 women who delivered during the study period, 569 (18.7%) had GDM and 2472 (81.3%) were not diabetic. Compared with the nondiabetic women, women with GDM were more likely to be delivered by emergency cesarean section (CS), odds ratio (OR) 1.30, 95% confidence intervals (CI) (1.02-1.66), or elective CS (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.22-2.44, P<0.001). The neonates of the mothers with GDM were significantly heavier and more frequently macrosomic (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.14-2.71, P<0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the frequency of APGAR scores less than 7 in 5 min, preterm delivery at less than 37 weeks of gestation, or in the frequency of intrauterine fetal death. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of GDM in King Khalid University Hospital is among the highest in the world. GDM is associated with an increased risk for CS delivery and macrosomia. © 2013 Egyptian Public Health Association.