Fetal development in women with diabetes: imprinting for a life-time?

OBJECTIVE

To test the hypothesis that fetal exposure to a hyperglycemic intrauterine environment in women with type 1 diabetes is associated with asymmetrically distributed excessive fetal growth and imprinting consistent with adverse health issues later in life.

METHODS

We report findings from a feasibility study on 19 young adults, born to mothers with type 1 diabetes. Long-term follow-up of the offspring in young adulthood included: oral glucose tolerance test, body mass index (BMI), dual X-ray absorptiometry, and blood pressure (BP). We report z-BMI and z-BP to account for varying gender and age.

RESULTS

The young adults born to women with diabetes averaged 19.9 years at follow-up; 37% were female, and 21% African American. Maternal glycohemoglobin A(1) concentration in the 2nd trimester was 9.2% for offspring born with asymmetric LGA and 7.5% for those born with symmetric LGA or AGA. There was significant correlation between maternal glucose control during pregnancy and fasting glucose, z-BMI and z-systolic BP in the young adults.

CONCLUSION

The hyperglycemic intrauterine environment is associated with short-term morbidity, manifested as asymmetric LGA (the "fat" baby). In addition, increasing level of maternal hyperglycemia during pregnancy is associated with increased adiposity and elevated fasting glucose in the young adult offspring.