Health
Gestational diabetes rates increased 35% in a decade
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 15, 2004
Diabetes during pregnancy went up 35% from 1991 to 2000, according to a study published in the March issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., analyzed medical records of more than 267,000 HMO patients. Women giving birth in 2000 tended to be older than those in 1991 and more likely to be from a minority group, but even after controlling for these factors, the rate increased from 5.1% to 7.4% in 1997, although it leveled off at 6.9% in 2000.
Authors of the paper suggested that the increasing weight of women giving birth may be the driving factor in this increase and expressed concern because gestational diabetes can lead to prematurity and other complications.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/03/15/hlbf0315.htm.
