Follow-up of children of diabetic mothers.

The results of a follow-up study of infants of diabetic mothers are presented. The antenatal care of all such mothers was supervised in a combined clinic by obstetricians and physicians, and good diabetic control was achieved in most of them. 51 mothers delivered 73 infants, all liveborn, between the years 1964 and 1972 inclusive at Hammersmith Hospital. There were no fetal deaths. 66 infants survived the neonatal period, and 63 the first 2 years of life. 51 children, including all those seriously ill in the neonatal period, could be traced. Detailed neurological and general examinations including skinfold measurements were made, and the IQ measured. Four children were found to have major handicaps. These were severe deafness, epilepsy, low IQ, and myopia. No other neurological abnormalities were detected, and the distribution of full-scale IQs was normal. The distribution of height and head circumference centiles was near normal, but an increased number of children had weights above the 90th centile. No significant congenital malformations were found in these 51 survivors, and none has so far developed diabetes.