Gestational Diabetes may Increase Risk of Heart Disease: Study

A recent study looks at how women who experience gestational diabetes may also face an increased risk of early heart disease later in life, even if they do not develop type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome during their pregnancy.

"Our research shows that just having a history of gestational diabetes elevates a woman's risk of developing early atherosclerosis before she develops type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome," said Erica P. Gunderson, PhD, MPH, study lead author and senior research scientist in the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., via a press release. "Pregnancy has been under-recognized as an important time period that can signal a woman's greater risk for future heart disease. This signal is revealed by gestational diabetes."

As gestational diabetes can commonly occur during pregnancy-a condition in which elevated blood sugar levels can affect certain health issues for the mom and the baby, researchers set out to assess the risk factors for heart disease during pregnancy among 898 women, 18 to 30 years old, who later had one or more births, over a 20 year period.

All of the participants were periodically tested for diabetes as well as metabolic conditions before and after their pregnancy with an ultrasound to measure the patient's carotid artery.

The study notes the following regarding results, courtesy of the release: "Researchers found a larger average carotid artery wall thickness in study participants with a history of gestational diabetes who did not develop diabetes or metabolic syndrome during the 20-year follow-up compared to those who never experienced gestational diabetes.. The difference was not attributed to obesity or other risk factors for heart disease that were measured before pregnancy."

It's important to recognize reproductive characteristics that may contribute to disease risk in women, Gunderson added, via the release. "It's a shift in thinking about how to identify a subgroup at risk for atherosclerosis early. The concept that reproductive complications unmask future disease risk is a more recent focus. It may inform early prevention efforts."

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the Journal of the American Heart Association.