Changes in insulin requirements during pregnancy in Japanese women with type 1 diabetes.

AIMS: We investigated the changes in insulin requirements, and other relevant factors, in pregnant Japanese women with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: This retrospective observational study was conducted on 77 singleton pregnant women with type 1 diabetes, treated with multiple daily injections of insulin. We examined changes in daily insulin dose during pregnancy and defined the increased insulin doses as the ratio of maximum dose to the pre-pregnancy dose. The relationship between the increased insulin doses and maternal features or pregnancy outcomes was investigated. RESULTS: The insulin dose gradually increased during pregnancy, reaching a maximum dose that was 1.6 times of that prior to pregnancy, at 35 weeks of gestation. A negative significant correlation was observed between the insulin dose increases and duration of diabetes (p = 0.008). Greater increases in insulin doses were noted in women with multiparity, compared to nulliparity (p = 0.047). Multiple regression analyses revealed that shorter duration of diabetes was independently associated with the increases in insulin dose during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Women with a longer duration of diabetes required smaller increases in insulin dose during pregnancy, suggesting that long diabetic duration may decrease placental function. Further investigations are needed to clarify the mechanisms that the duration of diabetes influences on insulin requirement during pregnancy.

Assessment of predictors of insulin therapy in patients with gestational diabetes diagnosed according to the IADPSG criteria.

AIMS AND INTRODUCTION: It is helpful for both diabetologists and obstetricians to identify patients with gestational diabetes who require insulin therapy for glycemic control during pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to assess potential predictors of insulin requirement in patients with gestational diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred thirteen patients with gestational diabetes [mean age 34.2 ± 4.5 years; pre-gestational body mass index (BMI), 23.6 ± 6.0 kg/m2] were included in this study. The associations between insulin requirement and the following factors were analyzed: clinical maternal characteristics, number of abnormal oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) values, gestational age at diagnosis, plasma glucose levels measured during the OGTT, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and glycated albumin levels, and serum C-peptide level before breakfast and 1 and 2 h after breakfast. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients (32 %) required insulin during pregnancy ("insulin group"); the remaining patients were treated with nutrition therapy ("nutrition group"). The insulin group had a higher pre-gestational BMI, higher fasting glucose level, higher area under the curve (AUC) for serum C-peptide level, higher HbA1c level, and a younger gestational age at diagnosis than the nutrition group (p < 0.05, all). Logistic regression analysis showed that the pre-gestational BMI, AUC for serum C-peptide level, and the HbA1c level were independent predictors for the insulin group (p < 0.05, all). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a high insulin resistance and HbA1c level may be associated with insulin requirement in patients with gestational diabetes.