Incidence of Prediabetes/Diabetes among Women with Prior Gestational Diabetes and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Prospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

This prospective longitudinal study aims to evaluate and compare the incidence of prediabetes/diabetes among women stratified at the baseline postpartum visit according to the prior GDM and NAFLD status.

METHODS

Of the 309 women with baseline postpartum assessment at a median of 16 months following the index delivery, 200 (64.7%) [GDM: 137 (68.5%), normoglycaemia: 63 (31.5%)] were available for the follow-up analysis (performed at median of 54 months following the index delivery) and were participants for this study. We obtained relevant demographic, medical and obstetric details and performed a 75 g OGTT with glucose estimation at 0 and 120 min. NAFLD status was defined by ultrasonography at the baseline visit. Participants were divided into four groups: no NAFLD and no prior GDM (group 1), NAFLD but no prior GDM (group 2), prior GDM but no NAFLD (group 3), and NAFLD and prior GDM (group 4).

RESULTS

The mean age of study participants (n = 200) was 32.2 ± 5.1 years, and the mean interval between the two visits was 34.8 ± 5.5 months. A total of 74 (37%) women had progression to prediabetes/diabetes [incidence rate of 12.8/100 woman-years]. The incidence rates (per 100 woman-years) were 8.6, 8.9, 13.4 and 15.3 in groups 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The adjusted hazard ratio for incident (new-onset) prediabetes/diabetes in group 4 (reference: group 1) was 1.99 (95% CI 0.80, 4.96, = 0.140). Among women with baseline NAFLD (irrespective of GDM status), the risk of incident prediabetes/diabetes increased with an increase in the duration of follow-up (3.03-fold higher per year of follow-up, = 0.029) and was significantly higher in women who were not employed (6.43, 95% CI 1.74, 23.7, = 0.005) and in women with GDM requiring insulin/metformin during pregnancy (4.46, 95% CI 1.27, 15.64, = 0.019).

CONCLUSION

NAFLD and GDM increased the risk for glycaemic deterioration in young Indian women. Future studies should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of lifestyle and behavioural interventions in such high-risk women.