Incidence of glucose intolerance and risk factors in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus one year postpartum: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the incidence and risk factors of glucose intolerance within one year postpartum in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), with the goal of informing the creation of effective preventive measures.

Method: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Ovid, Scopus, CINAHL, Wiley, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), WANFANG Database, China Science and Technology Journal Database (CSTJ), and China Biology Medicine Database (CBM) for records published from January 1990 to August 2024. The index terms included 'gestational diabetes mellitus', 'glucose intolerance', 'postpartum', and 'risk factor'. Investigators assessed eligibility, extracted data, and evaluated the methodological quality. The meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 17.0 and Review Manager 5.4.

Result: Eighteen studies were included in the analysis, with 14 categorized as low risk of bias and 4 classified as medium risk of bias. The pooled incidence of glucose intolerance in women with GDM within 1 year postpartum was 34.5% (95% CI: 1.34-1.58). The following risk factors for glucose intolerance one year postpartum in women with GDM were identified: age (MD = 1.71; 95% CI: 0.50-2.91), pre-pregnancy BMI (MD = 1.75; 95% CI: 0.73-2.78), weight gain during pregnancy (MD = 1.25; 95% CI: 0.74-1.76), family history of diabetes (OR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.58-2.42), fasting blood glucose at diagnosis (MD = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.39-0.88), 1-h postprandial blood glucose at diagnosis (MD = 1.24; 95% CI: 0.92-1.57), 2-h postprandial blood glucose at diagnosis (MD = 1.30; 95% CI: 0.72-1.87), history of GDM (OR = 2.62; 95% CI: 1.79-3.84), insulin use (OR = 2.41; 95% CI: 1.43-4.08), postpartum BMI (MD = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.24-1.55), diagnosed gestational weeks (MD = -1.82; 95% CI: -2.94--0.71), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level at diagnosis (MD = 0.36; 95% CI: 0.14-0.58), HbA1c levels at 6-12 weeks postpartum (MD = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.42-1.29), fasting blood glucose levels 6 to 12 weeks postpartum (MD = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.05-0.57), 2-h postprandial blood glucose level 6 to 12 weeks postpartum(MD = 2.47; 95% CI: 0.68-4.26), Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels at diagnosis (MD = 0.20; 95% CI: 0.01-0.40), and triglyceride (TG) level at diagnosis(MD = 0.55; 95% CI: 0.34-0.75).

Conclusion: The incidence of glucose intolerance one year postpartum in women with GDM is relatively high. The subgroup analysis of this study revealed that the incidence is highest among Asian women and lowest among Caucasian women. 17 risk factors have been identified; these findings may help to better understand which GDM patients are more likely to experience glucose intolerance one year postpartum, and provide higher-level evidence for assessing the incidence and risk factors of glucose intolerance in GDM patients one year after delivery.