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6% of women who give birth have diabetes
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 3, 2011
More than 250,000 women who gave birth in U.S. hospitals in 2008 had diabetes, putting them at greater risk for miscarriage and other complications, according to new data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
That's equal to about one in every 16 of the 4.2 million women who gave birth that year. Of those, 35,500 women had preexisting diabetes, and 232,300 developed gestational diabetes. Risks include miscarriage, premature birth or having a baby with hypoglycemia, jaundice or an abnormally large body.
Diabetic mothers were more likely to have a cesarean section and higher pregnancy costs than other women. Sixty-four percent of women with preexisting diabetes and 46% with gestational diabetes had a cesarean section compared with 32% of women without diabetes.
The total cost of all pregnant women with diabetes in 2008 is estimated at more than $1.4 billion, equal to 8.5% of maternal hospitalization costs, according to a Dec. 15, 2010, AHRQ statement (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/01/03/prbf0103.htm.
