Gestational diabetes can affect the long -term health of both the mother and the baby, to the point that the children of mothers with gestational diabetes have up to eight times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes or obesity in adolescence or ageadult
This has been revealed during the 9th symposium of diabetes in pregnancy that has just been held in Barcelona, during which Dr. Alan Moses has affirmed that “although gestational diabetes is not as severe as type 1 diabetes, it hasA great impact on the development of the baby, the risks associated with childbirth and raise the risk of having diabetes years later, also for the mother. ”
Approximately 50 % of women with gestational diabetes develop type 2 diabetes before the five years after pregnancy, so that tests are especially important to detect diabetes during pregnancy or control it if the mother is already diabetic, since they offerThe possibility of reducing preventable morbidity and mortality and stop type 2 diabetes.
In recent years there has been a remarkable increase in the number of women developing diabetes during pregnancy, "solving appears in the last quarter of pregnancy," says the expert.
In some countries, the risk of developing gestational diabetes already ranges from 20-30 %, which is associated with the highest prevalence of obesity.
Before 1922, when insulin was first used, women of childbearing age with type 1 diabetes could not conceive or die during pregnancy.However, “in the last 30 years a great effort has been made to avoid mortality and new basal insulins, such as Detemir insulin, provide excellent glucose control with less risk of hypoglycemic reactions.A job that has allowed less risk of perinatal mortality, congenital malformations and other adverse effects on the mother, ”says Dr. Moses.
"So much so, that due to the effectiveness of the increasingly and more women treatments with type 1 diabetes are willing to assume the risks of pregnancy," he added.
Thanks to these therapeutic advances, initiating or intensifying the treatment of diabetes in pregnancy significantly reduces complications in the mother and newborn.But as the doctor clarifies, “this not only implies the choice of appropriate medicines, but also ensuring that women are educated in relation to self -care (taking medication, controlling blood glucose, adjusting the diet and exercise,maintain medical follow -up).In this way, with good care and continuous monitoring, women will have satisfactory pregnancy. ”
One of the main challenges of the health professional when serving pregnant women with diabetes is to avoid hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.“Diabetes successfully managing at this stage of women's life implies having an average level of glucose less than other diabetic people in their blood.And this increases the risk of hypoglycemia, ”said Alan Moses.If this is serious, it can cause significant permanent damage in both the mother and the baby.
The change in lifestyle, with healthy eating and exercise, and medication if necessary, are enough to achieve almost normal blood glucose control levels.