The correlation between the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus and maternal age in Southern China

Abstract

Objectives: The present study aimed to survey the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Southern China and further to analyze the correlation between the prevalence of GDM and maternal age. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out at the Southern Medical University Affiliated Maternal & Child Health Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China between January and April 2020. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) was performed, using a 75 g glucose load and venous samples were drawn at 0 h, 1 h and 2 h at 24-28 weeks of gestation. GDM was diagnosed by International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria. Results: The prevalence of GDM was 14.87% by IADPSG criteria. The incidence of GDM outcome increased and plasma glucose levels remained high among the age subgroups (<20, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, ≥40 years old) in pregnant women. Moreover, the levels of plasma glucose levels after OGTT kept rising among the pregnant women with non-gestational diabetes mellitus (non-GDM). Furthermore, pregnant women were inclined to have abnormal plasma glucose values at 1 h and 2 h than initial fasting plasma glucose (FPG) after OGTT as the age increased. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that the incidence of GDM outcome and plasma glucose levels increase as the maternal age increase.