Gestational diabetes : a subsequent increase in cardiovascular risk

IgorTishenko/epictura

Published the 18.10.2017 at 08h28

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Keywords :

grossessediabèterisque cardiovascular

Gestational diabetes is impaired tolerance to glucose during pregnancy. International guidelines classify diabetes gestational risk factors of cardiovascular disease in women.
In women, a history of diabetes during pregnancy, or ” gestational diabetes “, are associated with a moderate risk of cardiovascular disease over the long term. However, the absolute rate of cardiovascular disease remains low in the group of youngest women and those who have a healthy lifestyle. In addition, the risk appears to diminish over time. This is according to a new article published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The cohort Nurses ‘Health Study II

The researchers at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Usa, have discovered this relationship by analyzing prospectively the cardiovascular risk in women with a history of gestational diabetes in the Nurses ‘Health Study II. This is a prospective cohort that began in 1989 by recruiting more than 116 000 nurses aged 24 to 44 years of age. History of gestational diabetes have been recorded on the initial questionnaire and health data have been updated every two years. The primary endpoint of the study is a criterion composite involving heart attacks (myocardial infarction) in non-fatal and fatal strokes occurring from the beginning of the questionnaire.

An on-cardiovascular risk modest

Nearly 90 000 women from the Nurses ‘Health Study II were eligible for the analysis for the current study and almost 5 300 women (5.9 per cent) had a history of gestational diabetes.

New events cardiovascular the primary endpoint occurred in 1 of 161 women who have had children over the 26 years of follow-up, including 612 heart attacks and 553 cerebral vascular accidents.

A risk that can be reduced by a healthy lifestyle

Although a slightly higher risk of cardiovascular disease has been associated with a history of gestational diabetes compared to women who didn’t have them, the difference in absolute risk is low.

In addition, the cardiovascular risk appears to be mitigated by adhering to a healthy lifestyle (for example, a healthy diet, physical activity, not smoking and not being overweight or obese) in the following years.
These women, however, must be followed to assess longer-term complications of the impact on the health of the gestational diabetes.