Effect of gestational diabetes on neurodevelopment outcome of the offsprings- Ma’an shan birth cohort study

Abstract

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects children’s neurodevelopmental processes. However, continuous monitoring of this effect across different child age span is lacking. Study design: 1438 mother-infant pairs were finally include in the analysis. Data of a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) administered to women at 24–28 weeks of pregnancy was collected. Neurodevelopment in childhood was assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires. Results: At the age of 6 months, GDM offspring had higher risk of delays in the fine motor domain [aOR = 1.77 (95%CI:1.08 ~ 2.88)]. At the age of 18 months, maternal GDM was associated with delays in the domains of fine motor [aOR = 1.94 (95%CI:1.01 ~ 3.72)] and fasting plasma glucose and 1-hour post-load glucose (1-h PG) were more strongly associated with neurodevelopmental delays compared to 2-hour post-load glucose (2-h PG). Conclusions: The impaired neurophysiological development risk among offspring born to mothers with GDM increased, particularly evident at 18 months of age and more pronounced in girls.