Objective: To describe the epidemiology of early gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) based on the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) defined fasting glycemia.
Methods: A prospective multicenter study testing fasting venous plasma glucose (FPG) in women aged 18-45 years between 6 and 23+6 weeks of pregnancy in secondary health facilities in Ondo State, Nigeria. Early GDM was defined using the IADPSG threshold for fasting hyperglycemia, and its severity was examined. Potential risk factors for early GDM were assessed using logistic regression analysis.
Results: Of the 8915 women who underwent FPG testing, the prevalence of early GDM was 12.5% (11.9%-13.3%). Multivariable analysis identified a dose-response association between body mass index (BMI) (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) and early GDM, with a BMI of 35 or more (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.92, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-3.55) associated with early GDM. Primiparity (aOR 1.49, 95% CI 1.25-1.76), multiparity (aOR 1.73, 95% CI 1.47-2.04), and a first-degree family history of diabetes (aOR 1.60, 95% CI 1.27-2.02) were associated with significantly higher odds of early GDM.
Conclusion: This study established the prevalence, severity and risk factors for early GDM in a specific country that potentially represents a global region with no previous relevant data.
Keywords: early gestational diabetes mellitus; fasting hyperglycemia; fasting plasma glucose; overt diabetes; pregnancy.
© 2022 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.