Diabetes During Pregnancy Soars

Why Supplements?: The rate of diabetes among pregnant women is soaring as they have children later in life and grow fatter. The rate of gestational diabetes (GD) for women aged between 15-49 climbed more than 20 per cent between 2000-01 and 2005-06.

The number of GD patients at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital has soared more than 100 per cent over the past eight years, GD expert, Michael d'Emden, said. GD is a form of diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy that lasts the duration of the pregnancy.

The first national snapshot on the condition was released by the Australian Institute on Health and Welfare today. Other key findings of the report were that in 2005-06: 4.6 per cent of women, or more than 12,400 women, aged 15-49 years who gave birth in hospital were diagnosed with GD. One per cent of women aged 15-19 years were diagnosed with GD, compared with 13 per cent of women aged 44-49.

Women born overseas had double the risk of being diagnosed with GD, compared with those born in Australia. Women born in Southern Asia had more than three times the risk of being diagnosed with GD than Australian-born women. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women were diagnosed with gestational diabetes at 1.5 times the rate of other Australian women. Midwives at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital are now using a computer decision support program to manage patients with the condition, rather than patients seeing a doctor.

Dr d'Emden said women having children later in life and ballooning waistlines were factors in the massive GD increase. "Women who are overweight who get gestational diabetes have about a 50 per cent chance of progressing on to get Type 2 diabetes in 10 years time," he said. Women can reduce their risk of GD by regular exercise, eating a healthy diet and controlling their weight.

Source: www.aap.com.au

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