OBJECTIVE—Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an increasingly prevalent risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes in the mother and is responsible for morbidity in the child. To better identify women at risk of developing GDM we examined sociodemographic correlates and changes in the prevalence of GDM among all births between 1995 and 2005 in Australia9s largest state. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A computerized database of all births (n = 956,738) between 1995 and 2005 in New South Wales, Australia, was used in a multivariate logistic regression that examined the association between sociodemographic characteristics and the occurrence of GDM. RESULTS—Between 1995 and 2005, the prevalence of GDM increased by 45%, from 3.0 to 4.4%. Women born in South Asia had the highest adjusted odds ratio (OR) of any region (4.33 [95% CI 4.12–4.55]) relative to women born in Australia. Women living in the three lowest socioeconomic quartiles had higher adjusted ORs for GDM relative to women in the highest quartile (1.54 [1.50–1.59], 1.74 [1.69–1.8], and 1.65 [1.60–1.70] for decreasing socioeconomic status quartiles). Increasing age was strongly associated with GDM, with women aged >40 years having an adjusted OR of 6.13 (95% CI 5.79–6.49) relative to women in their early 20s. Parity was associated with a small reduced risk. There was no association between smoking and GDM. CONCLUSIONS—Maternal age, socioeconomic position, and ethnicity are important correlates of GDM. Future culturally specific interventions should target prevention of GDM in these high-risk groups.

Rising rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and related complications have prompted calls to identify potentially modifiable risk factors that are associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We systematically reviewed the scientific literature for observational studies examining specific dietary and/or physical activity (PA) factors and risk of GDM. Our search included PubMed, Medline, CINAHL/EBSCO, Science Direct and EMBASE, and identified 1167 articles, of which 40 met our inclusion criteria (e.g., singleton pregnancy, reported diet or PA data during pre-pregnancy/early pregnancy and GDM as an outcome measure). Studies were assessed for quality using a modified Quality Criteria Checklist from American Dietetic Association. Of the final 40 studies, 72% obtained a positive quality rating and 28% were rated neutral. The final analysis incorporated data on 30,871 pregnant women. Dietary studies were categorised into either caffeine, carbohydrate, fat, protein, calcium, fast food and recognized dietary patterns. Diets such as Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and Alternate Healthy Eating Index diet (AHEI) were associated with 15–38% reduced relative risk of GDM. In contrast, frequent consumption of potato, meat/processed meats, and protein (% energy) derived from animal sources was associated with an increased risk of GDM. Compared to no PA, any pre-pregnancy or early pregnancy PA was associated with 30% and 21% reduced odds of GDM, respectively. Engaging in >90 min/week of leisure time PA before pregnancy was associated with 46% decreased odds of GDM. We conclude that diets resembling MedDiet/DASH diet as well as higher PA levels before or in early pregnancy were associated with lower risks or odds of GDM respectively. The systematic review was registered at PROSPERO (www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO) as CRD42016027795.

OBJECTIVE—There is conflicting evidence regarding the benefit of intravenous insulin therapy on mortality following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The goal of the current study was to determine whether improved glycemic control, achieved through an insulin/dextrose infusion with a variable rate of insulin, reduces mortality among hyperglycemic patients with AMI. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Subjects suffering AMI with either known diabetes or without diabetes but blood glucose level (BGL) ≥7.8 mmol/l were randomized to receive insulin/dextrose infusion therapy for at least 24 h to maintain a BGL <10 mmol/l or conventional therapy. RESULTS—A total of 240 subjects were recruited. Insulin/dextrose infusion did not reduce mortality at the inpatient stage (4.8 vs. conventional 3.5%, P = 0.75), 3 months (7.1 vs 4.4%, P = 0.42), or 6 months (7.9 vs. 6.1%, P = 0.62). There was, however, a lower incidence of cardiac failure (12.7 vs. 22.8%, P = 0.04) and reinfarction within 3 months (2.4 vs. 6.1%, P = 0.05). When analyzed by mean BGL achieved during the first 24 h, mortality was lower among subjects with a mean BGL ≤8 mmol/l, compared with subjects with a mean BGL >8 mmol/l (2 vs. 11% at 6 months, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS—We did not find a reduction in mortality among patients who received insulin/dextrose infusion therapy. However, it remains possible that tight glycemic control with insulin therapy following AMI improves outcomes.

OBJECTIVE—Women who have had gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have a high risk of subsequently developing diabetes. However, the contribution of GDM toward the total population of people with diabetes, or its population health impact, has not been examined. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the population health significance of GDM by estimating the proportion of cases of diabetes in women that would have been preceded by a pregnancy complicated by GDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A MEDLINE search was conducted to identify controlled follow-up studies of women with GDM. Meta-analysis of these studies, using the Mantel-Haenszel method for pooling relative risks (RRs), provided an overall RR for the development of diabetes in women with GDM versus control women who had been pregnant without GDM. Recent large studies examining the prevalence of GDM were also reviewed. This enabled the calculation of the population-attributable risk (PAR) for these populations. In this case, the PAR represents the proportion of cases of diabetes among parous women that were associated with previous GDM. RESULTS—From six controlled follow-up studies, the overall RR for developing diabetes after GDM was calculated to be 6.0 (95% CI 4.1–8.8). Applying this to the studies of GDM prevalence, the PAR for GDM ranged from 0.10 to 0.31 (i.e., 10–31% of parous women with diabetes would have experienced a GDM pregnancy earlier). CONCLUSIONS—In some populations, women who have had GDM comprise a substantial proportion of subjects who ultimately develop diabetes. Effective measures to prevent women with GDM from progressing to frank diabetes could therefore have a significant population health impact.

OBJECTIVE—Hyperglycemia is associated with poor clinical outcomes and mortality in myocardial infarction, stroke, and general hospital patients. However, there are few data regarding the effect of hyperglycemia on outcomes in patients receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN), a therapy that predisposes patients to hyperglycemia. The aim of this study was to determine whether elevated blood glucose levels are associated with adverse outcomes in patients receiving TPN. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A retrospective analysis was undertaken from the medical records of 111 patients (122 treatment episodes) receiving TPN. All patients had blood drawn daily for the measurement of blood glucose levels. Outcome measures were assessed as a function of mean daily blood glucose levels while receiving TPN. RESULTS—Increased blood glucose levels were associated with an increased risk of cardiac complications (odds ratio 1.61, 95% CI 1.09–2.37, P = 0.02), infection (1.4, 1.08–1.82, P = 0.01), systemic sepsis (1.36, 1.00–1.86, P = 0.05), acute renal failure (1.47, 1.00–2.17, P = 0.05), and death (1.77, 1.23–2.52, P < 0.01). When the data were examined by quartiles of blood glucose levels, the mortality of subjects in the highest quartile was 10.9 times (95% CI 2.0–60.5, P < 0.01) that of subjects in the lowest quartile, and the risk of developing any complication was 4.3 times higher (1.4–13.1, P < 0.01). These effects were independent of age, sex, or prior diabetes status. CONCLUSIONS—Hyperglycemia is a predictor of poor outcomes in patients receiving TPN. The confirmation of a relation between blood glucose levels and adverse outcomes provides support for tight glycemic control in these patients.