Introduction: It is well known that women with history of gestational diabetes (GDM) are at risk of future DM. Whether they are at a higher risk of hypertension and cardiovascular risk remained to be determined.
Objectives: To determine whether Chinese women who have been diagnosed GDM according to the new IADPSG criteria have a higher risk of hypertension & arterial stiffness than women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) during pregnancy.
Methods: Chinese women who had participated in the HAPO study between 2001 and 2006 in Hong Kong were followed up at a median of 6years postpartum. All underwent anthropometric & BP measurements. Central systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP & DBP), augmentation index (AI) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were assessed by using SphygmoCor(®) PVx.A total of 608 women (494 NGT, 114 GDM) were followed up till early 2012.
Results: Although there was no significant difference in the rate of hypertension, the central SBP (106±12 vs 102±13mmHg, p=0.03), AI (22.1±8.3 vs 18.9±8.5%, p<0.001) and PWV (6.8±1.0 vs 6.6±0.8, p=0.03) were all higher in women with history of GDM.
Conclusion: The findings suggest a higher risk of subclinical atherosclerosis amongst women with GDM despite the blood pressure may appear normal at the time of follow up.
Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V.