Gestational diabetes mellitus and offspring’s carotid intima–media thickness at birth: MySweetHeart Cohort study

• Published in: BMJ open Vol. 12; no. 7; p. e061649
• Main Authors: Epure, Adina Mihaela, Di Bernardo, Stefano, Mivelaz, Yvan, Estoppey Younes, Sandrine, Chiolero, Arnaud, Sekarski, Nicole, Arhab, Amar, Bovet, Pascal, Bernardo, Stefano Di, Younes, Sandrine Estoppey, Gilbert, Leah, Gross, Justine, Horsch, Antje, Lanzi, Stefano, Mayerat, Seyda, Puder, Jardena J, Quansah, Dan, Rossel, Jean-Benoit, Simeoni, Umberto, Stuijfzand, Bobby, Vial, Yvan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London British Medical Journal Publishing Group 26.07.2022; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Publishing Group
• Series: Original research
• Subjects: Adjustment; Age; Atherosclerosis; Blood pressure; Body mass index; cardiac epidemiology; Cardiology; cardiovascular imaging; Cardiovascular Medicine; Cohort analysis; Data collection; diabetes in pregnancy; Education; Families & family life; Family medical history; Gestational diabetes; Glucose; Hyperglycemia; Metabolism; neonatology; paediatric cardiology; Pediatrics; Pregnancy; Smoking; Ultrasonic imaging; Womens health; Netherlands
• ISSN: 2044-6055; 2044-6055
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061649

ObjectiveHyperglycaemia during pregnancy is associated with cardiometabolic risks for the mother and the offspring. Mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have signs of subclinical atherosclerosis, including increased carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT). We assessed whether GDM is associated with increased CIMT in the offspring at birth.Design and settingMySweetHeart Cohort is a prospective cohort study conducted in Switzerland.Participants, exposure and outcome measuresThis work included pregnant women with and without GDM at 24–32 weeks of gestation and their singleton live-born offspring with data on the primary outcome of CIMT. GDM was diagnosed based on the criteria of the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups. Offspring’s CIMT was measured by ultrasonography after birth (range 1–19 days).ResultsData on CIMT were available for 99 offspring of women without GDM and 101 offspring of women with GDM. Maternal age ranged from 18 to 47 years. Some 16% of women with GDM and 6% of women without GDM were obese. Smoking during pregnancy was more frequent among women with GDM (18%) than among those without GDM (4%). Neonatal characteristics were comparable between the two groups. The difference in CIMT between offspring of women with and without GDM was of 0.00 mm (95% CI −0.01 to 0.01; p=0.96) and remained similar on adjustment for potential confounding factors, such as maternal prepregnancy body mass index, maternal education, smoking during pregnancy, family history of diabetes, as well as offspring’s sex, age, and body surface area (0.00 mm (95% CI −0.02 to 0.01; p=0.45)).ConclusionsWe found no evidence of increased CIMT in neonates exposed to GDM. A longer-term follow-up that includes additional vascular measures, such as endothelial function or arterial stiffness, may shed further light on the cardiovascular health trajectories in children born to mothers with GDM.Trial registration numberNCT02872974; Pre-results.