Histological Changes in Severe Diabetic Fetopathy: An Autopsy Case Report

Abstract

Maternal diabetes is one of the most common and dangerous risk factors during pregnancy, as often there are no generalized signs. Diabetic fetopathy is a severe, poorly defined complication of gestational diabetes or preexisting maternal diabetes mellitus, with an ill-defined histological spectrum of changes. Herein we report a case of severe diabetic fetopathy diagnosed upon autopsy of a recently miscarried fetus. On histology, the liver revealed severe generalized macrovesicular steatosis and number of small cysts. The pancreas revealed not only Langerhans isle hyperplasia, but also Langerhans amyloidosis, evident of the severity of maternal diabetes and fetal hyperglycemia. The adrenal glands revealed hyperplasia in zona glomerulosa, due to aldosterone overproduction, evident of fetal hypertension. The current case is an extreme example of an undiagnosed and untreated gestational diabetes mellitus. The severity of histological changes, in this case, is suggestive of further extension of the diagnostic criteria of diabetic fetopathy to include more subtle changes that can be observed clinically and even a combination of maternal-newborn factors.