Diabetes mellitus during pregnancy – risks and consequences.

Introduction. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most widespread diseases of the endocrine system in the world. The global incidence of DM is increasing every year. Data presented by IDF Atlas 2016 show that 1 in 7 births is affected by gestational diabetes. In the Republic of Moldova, the registration of DM cases is not unified, this is why we decided to study which group is at risk for the development of gestational diabetes, along with some features of management and its impact on the birth of children with a large mass. Methodology. The prospective case-control study was performed within the Scientific Laboratory of Obstetrics of IMSP, Mother and Child Institute (IMC), in the period 2021-2022. The research included 253 births in IMC: 48 births in patients with a diagnosis of DM and 205 births without diagnosed non-transmissible diseases. Twin pregnancy cases were excluded from the study. Results. In the group of patients with DM, there was a higher proportion of patients aged above 35 years old – 33.3% (n=15) versus 13.1% (n=41). Such age increases the risk of DM (OR=3.3; 95% CI; 1.58-7.00; p<0.001). Of the patients with DM, 62.5% came from rural areas. The urban environment can be a protective factor against DM (OR=0.52; 95% CI; 0.27-0.988). Among patients with DM, children weighing more than 4000 g were in 48.39% versus 15.63% (p<0.05). The probability of a pregnant woman to give birth to a macrosomic fetus, being diagnosed with DM, is six times higher compared to pregnant women without DM (OR=6.17; 95% CI; 2.89-13.2). Conclusions. It is necessary to prevent the DM in the rural population. Multigestational and multiparous women require counseling regarding the possible development of diabetes mellitus. The need of the insulin therapy is underestimated in patients with diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]