Gestational diabetes mellitus in Korea: prevalence and prediction of glucose intolerance at early postpartum

To determine the prevalence of glucose intolerance in Korean women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) between 6 and 8 weeks postpartum and identify which antepartum variables were predictive of postpartum diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), we prospectively performed 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) between 6 and 8 weeks postpartum in women with GDM. WHO criteria were used for classification of glucose tolerance postpartum. Of 392 women with GDM were detected during the study period, 311 women participated in this study. Of the 311 participants, 119 (38.3%) women were found to have persistent glucose intolerance; 47 (15.1%) had diabetes and 72 (23.2%) had IGT. The prevalence of postpartum IGT and diabetes increased in parallel with the metabolic severity during pregnancy. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that pre-pregnancy weight, gestational age at diagnosis of GDM, 2-h glucose and 3-h insulin concentrations of diagnostic OGTT were independently associated with postpartum diabetes. Pre-pregnancy weight, 2-h glucose and 1-h insulin concentrations were independently associated with postpartum IGT. Our results support the importance of postpartum testing in Korean women with GDM, and demonstrated that impaired beta-cell function and pre-pregnancy obesity were associated with glucose intolerance at early postpartum. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.