Study reveals Gestational diabetes could cause cardiovascular diseases later in life

A study by researchers of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine has indicated that women who have gestational diabetes while pregnant could develop some cardiovascular diseases later in the future.

The researchers said while previous studies have confirmed that women who have gestational diabetes are at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, there has, however, been little scientific knowledge about why they are having these health conditions and the specific cardiovascular risks that they could have in the future.

The researchers disclosed this at the 42nd Annual Pregnancy Meeting of the Society, noting that the range of cardiovascular diseases include coronary artery disease, heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, mitral regurgitation, and atrial fibrillation.

To discover the particular heart diseases, the researchers used the health information of about 500,000 participating women from the UK Biobank.

They looked at the cardiovascular health of 219,330 women who had delivered at least one baby from 2006 to 2010. 

The results, they said, showed that out of that number, 13,094 women developed cardiovascular problems, adding that the findings also confirmed that women with a history of gestational diabetes were at greater risk of a variety of cardiovascular problems.

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The risk, they said, increased with age, adding that after adjusting confounding variables in the study, women with a history of gestational diabetes were still confirmed to be at an increased risk for a range of cardiovascular conditions

Speaking on the research to Eurekalert, one of the study’s authors who doubles as a maternal-fetal subspecialist and associate professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Seoul National University College of Medicine said the study shows the extent of heart problems that can arise long after birth.

“We’ve known that gestational diabetes can lead to heart problems. This research shows us the extent of heart health problems that can arise long after someone has given birth.

“The next step is to look at what kind of preventative measures can be taken during pregnancy to hopefully prevent cardiovascular disease from developing later in life,” the researchers said.