30 Mar Gestational Diabetes Raises Risk of Neuropsychiatric Issues in Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Prof. Eyal Sheiner
Eyal Sheiner, MD,PhD
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Soroka University Medical Center Beer-Sheva
Israel
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Sheiner: The reported rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are constantly escalating and little is known about the long term complications in the offspring. Evidence from the field of epigenetics strongly advocated the need for research on the neuropsychiatric impact of being exposed prenatally to GDM. In our study, in utero exposure to gestational diabetes mellitus was found to be an independent risk factor for long term neuropsychiatric morbidity of the offspring.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Sheiner: Pregnancy may be a window into the future health of the offspring. In gestational diabetes it has become common practice to think of the long term outcome of the mother, and now it is time to start thinking about the long term outcome of her fetus as well. This is a preliminary study and it is still early to understand what the clinical implications will be. With this said, we believe that in a world where the rates of gestational diabetes mellitus are constantly rising, it is important to continue researching the long term impact of such exposure.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Sheiner: Further studies should focus on the association between the level of glycemic control and the neuropsychiatric outcome of the offspring. We found that children who were exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus which required insulin had a higher risk of neuropsychiatric morbidity than children exposed to GDM that was successfully treated by diet and oral medications alone. Thus, a study focusing on glycemic control can help determine whether strict glycemic control could reduce this increased risk of neuropsychiatric morbidity. Another area for further research is the association between in utero exposure to GDM and other long-term neuropsychiatric morbidities, such as motor-neuron diseases and psychiatric conditions.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Dr. Sheiner: Since our study was conducted at a tertiary medical center which provides health care services to the entire population of southern Israel, this population based cohort included nearly a quarter of a million deliveries, of which 12,642 were of children exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Prenatal Exposure to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus as an Independent Risk Factor for Long- term Neuropsychiatric Morbidity of the Offspring
Kira Nahum Sacks, Michael Friger, Ilana Shoham-Vardi, Hanaa Abokaf, Efrat Speigel, Ruslan Sergienko, Daniella Landau, Eyal Sheiner
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2016.03.030
Publication stage: In Press Accepted Manuscript
Published online: March 24 2016
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Eyal Sheiner, MD,PhD (2016). Gestational Diabetes Raises Risk of Neuropsychiatric Issues in Children MedicalResearch.com
Last Updated on March 30, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD