Treatment beneficial in pregnancy-related diabetes
Treating women who develop mild diabetes during pregnancy may improve their quality of life and reduce complications for their offspring, according to a new study.
Researchers explain that there has been uncertainty over whether screening
and treatment of gestational diabetes to reduce maternal glucose levels
reduces the risks associated with the condition (such as fetal death,
shoulder dystocia, bone fracture and nerve palsy). There has also been
concern that treatment may increase the risk of caesarean birth and induced
labour as well as increase the risk of maternal anxiety and depression.
They therefore assigned 1,000 women (in Australia and the UK) who had
gestational diabetes to receive either dietary advice, blood glucose
monitoring and insulin
therapy, as needed, or routine care.
Treatment reduced the rate of serious perinatal complications (from 4
per cent to 1 per cent). This benefit was not at the expense of an increased
caesarean birth rate. However, treatment did appear to increase the rate
of labour induction as well as the rate of admission to a neonatal care
unit for the child.
The study is published in The New England Journal of Medicine (2005;352:2477). |
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