[Complications in insulin-dependent diabetic mothers during pregnancy and the long-term prognosis for their children]

The authors investigated whether vascular complications of insulin-dependent diabetic pregnant women can influence on a long-term basis their children in adult life. In a group of 169 children of diabetic mothers (CDM) 12 developed diabetes during childhood and adolescence; in the remaining 157, age 20.75 +/- 0.31 (SE) the following tests were made: oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), insulin level, parameters of the lipid metabolism, and blood pressure was assessed. CDM were divided into three groups: 1. CDM whose mothers had diabetic complications; according to White's classification of diabetes during pregnancy they belonged into class D and F (n = 10). 2. CDM whose mothers were classified with regard to diabetes during pregnancy as class B and C with subsequent toxaemia of pregnancy (n = 27), 3. CDM of mothers class B and C without toxaemia of pregnancy (n = 117). All investigated groups of CDM had significantly higher sums of blood sugar and insulin levels during the OGTT (P0.01), as compared with the control group (n = 31). In the first group of CDM the values were significantly higher than in the third group of CDM. As to cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels, the differences were not significant, the non-esterified fatty acid levels were higher in the second group than in controls (P0.05). In the first two groups also a higher systolic pressure was recorded than in controls (P0.01). Two children of the first group, two children of the second group and eight children of the third group of CDM developed diabetes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)