ABSTRACT
AIMS: To further explore the relationship between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) by determining the prevalence of GDM in women diagnosed with NAFLD antepartum. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched using specific keywords. Original studies of adult women reporting NAFLD (confirmed on imaging) and GDM (confirmed via oral glucose tolerance test) prevalence were included. Studies involving women with pre-gestational pre-diabetes, type 1/type 2 diabetes, chronic liver disease/cirrhosis unrelated to NAFLD were excluded. The prevalence of GDM occurring in women with NAFLD was calculated along with pooled odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using the random effects model. RESULTS: Seven studies (total 2299 participants) were included. The prevalence of GDM in women with NAFLD was 26.0% (95% CI 20.9-31.7%, I2 = 48%, τ2 = 0.06). The odds of having GDM were 2.9 times higher in pregnant women diagnosed with NAFLD compared with non-NAFLD women, although a high degree of heterogeneity existed (unadjusted OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.0-8.4, I2 = 81%, τ2 = 0.83, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study provides further insight into the prevalence of GDM in pregnant women diagnosed with NAFLD. There is a current lack of well-conducted studies examining this complex association between NAFLD and GDM.
