Objectives: To determine if Jamaican women of African descent with a family history of early onset autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes have greater odds of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) than those without a family history of the disease.
Methods: A comparative study was conducted of two groups of pregnant Jamaican women: the first with a family history of early onset autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes; the second with no history of the disease. Incidence, odds for developing GDM, and metabolic profiles in first and second trimesters were assessed using SPSS 11.5 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, United States).
Results: The incidence of GDM was 12.0% in women with a family history of early onset autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes and 1.5% in women without a family history of the disease (P<0.05). Women with a family history were nine times more likely to develop GDM than those without a family history of diabetes (95% confidence interval: 5.00-16.38, P<0.0001).
Conclusion: Family history of early onset autosomal dominant type 2 diabetes appears to increase susceptibility to GDM in Jamaican women. Pregnant women of any age with family history of early onset autosomal type 2 diabetes should be screened for GDM.