Maternal and neonatal outcomes according to the timing of diagnosis of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy: a nationwide cross-sectional study of 695,912 deliveries in France in 2018
Authors: Regnault Nolwenn , Lebreton Elodie , Tang Luveon , Fosse-Edorh Sandrine , Barry Yaya , Olié Valérie , Billionnet Cécile , Weill Alain , Vambergue Anne , Cosson Emmanuel 
Published: January 2024

Aims/hypothesis

We aimed to assess maternal–fetal outcomes according to various subtypes of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy.

Methods

We used data from the French National Health Data System (Système National des Données de Santé), which links individual data from the hospital discharge database and the French National Health Insurance information system. We included all deliveries after 22 gestational weeks (GW) in women without pre-existing diabetes recorded in 2018. Women with hyperglycaemia were classified as having overt diabetes in pregnancy or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), then categorised into three subgroups according to their gestational age at the time of GDM diagnosis: before 22 GW (GDM<22); between 22 and 30 GW (GDM22–30); and after 30 GW (GDM>30). Adjusted prevalence ratios (95% CI) for the outcomes were estimated after adjusting for maternal age, gestational age and socioeconomic status. Due to the multiple tests, we considered an association to be statistically significant according to the Holm–Bonferroni procedure. To take into account the potential immortal time bias, we performed analyses on deliveries at ≥31 GW and deliveries at ≥37 GW.

Results

The study population of 695,912 women who gave birth in 2018 included 84,705 women (12.2%) with hyperglycaemia in pregnancy: overt diabetes in pregnancy, 0.4%; GDM<22, 36.8%; GDM22–30, 52.4%; and GDM>30, 10.4%. The following outcomes were statistically significant after Holm–Bonferroni adjustment for deliveries at ≥31 GW using GDM22–30 as the reference. Caesarean sections (1.54 [1.39, 1.72]), large-for-gestational-age (LGA) infants (2.00 [1.72, 2.32]), Erb’s palsy or clavicle fracture (6.38 [2.42, 16.8]), preterm birth (1.84 [1.41, 2.40]) and neonatal hypoglycaemia (1.98 [1.39, 2.83]) were more frequent in women with overt diabetes. Similarly, LGA infants (1.10 [1.06, 1.14]) and Erb’s palsy or clavicle fracture (1.55 [1.22, 1.99]) were more frequent in GDM<22. LGA infants (1.44 [1.37, 1.52]) were more frequent in GDM>30. Finally, women without hyperglycaemia in pregnancy were less likely to have preeclampsia or eclampsia (0.74 [0.69, 0.79]), Caesarean section (0.80 [0.79, 0.82]), pregnancy and postpartum haemorrhage (0.93 [0.89, 0.96]), LGA neonate (0.67 [0.65, 0.69]), premature neonate (0.80 [0.77, 0.83]) and neonate with neonatal hypoglycaemia (0.73 [0.66, 0.82]). Overall, the results were similar for deliveries at ≥37 GW. Although the estimation of the adjusted prevalence ratio of perinatal death was five times higher (5.06 [1.87, 13.7]) for women with overt diabetes, this result was non-significant after Holm–Bonferroni adjustment.

Conclusions/interpretation

Compared with GDM22–30, overt diabetes, GDM<22 and, to a lesser extent, GDM>30 were associated with poorer maternal–fetal outcomes.

Graphical Abstract