Seasonal and SARS-CoV-2 pandemic changes in the incidence of gestational diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

To test the hypothesis that there is seasonal variation in the rates of gestational diabetes (GDM) diagnosed using a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test.

DESIGN

Monthly assessment of the percentage of women screened from 1 April 2016 to the 31 December 2020 who were diagnosed as having gestational diabetes.

SETTING

London teaching hospital.

POPULATION

28 128 women receiving antenatal care between 1 April 2016 and 31 December 2020.

METHODS

Retrospective study of prospectively collected data.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Proportion of women screened diagnosed as having gestational diabetes.

RESULTS

The mean (SD) percentage of women diagnosed with GDM was 14.78 (2.24) in summer (June, July, August) compared with 11.23 (1.62) in winter (P < 0.001), 12.13 (1.94) in spring (P = 0.002) and 11.88 (2.67) in autumn (P = 0.003). There was a highly significant positive correlation of the percentage testing positive for GDM with the mean maximum monthly temperature (R  = 0.248, P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant 33.8% increase in the proportion of GDM diagnoses from June 2020 onwards, possibly related to a reduction in exercise secondary to the Covid-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a 23.3% higher rate of GDM diagnoses in the warmer summer months. There has been a 33.8% rise in GDM diagnoses associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Rates of GDM are higher in summer and since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.