High prevalence of diabetes and abnormal glucose tolerance in Thai women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus

Abstract Aim To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT) in previous gestational diabetes mellitus (pGDM) women . Methods 100 pGDM women randomly selected from the database of the Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology. 75 g-OGTT were performed in subjects without known diabetes. AGT was diagnosed using the American Diabetes Association criteria. Results The mean age, pre-gestational BMI, and time since delivery were 38 ± 5 years, 24.5 ± 5.7 kg/m 2 , and 46 ± 26 months. Overall, 81% of the subjects had AGT, including IGT (38%), IGT + IFG (5%), T2DM (38%). Plasma glucose ( PG) at 1 h after a 50 g-glucose challenge test (GCT) , PG at 1 h after 100 g-OGTT, HbA 1c , and HOMA-IR were significantly greater in women with AGT than normal glucose tolerance (NGT) women. The proportion of women with ≥3 abnormal PG values during 100 g-OGTT was greater in AGT than NGT group (50.7% vs. 15.8%). Multivariate analysis showed that PG ≥ 150 mg/dl at 1 h after a 50 g-GCT and ≥3 abnormal PG values in 100 g-OGTTs were risk factors for developing AGT. Conclusions Eighty-one percent of pGDM women developed AGT within 4 years after delivery. Risk factors for AGT were PG ≥ 150 mg/dl at 1 h after a 50 g-GCT and ≥3 abnormal PG values in a 100 g-OGTT.