Mom's diabetes risky for babies

Pregnant women with diabetes have a higher risk of giving birth to a child with multiple birth defects. Maternal type 1 and type 2 diabetes are known risk factors for birth defects involving the heart, brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal system. But studies have shown that diabetic women with good blood glucose control during pregnancy are no more likely to have a baby with birth defects than non-diabetic women. To examine associations between pre-pregnancy diabetes and gestational diabetes and birth defects, researchers from America studied 17,925 infants as a part of the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. The researchers investigated risks for 39 different birth defects such as heart defects, lip and cleft palate, and limb malformations. Out of all, 13,030 infants were born with birth defects and the rest without any birth defect. It was found that the women with pre-pregnancy diabetes were more than three times more likely to have a child with one or several birth defects. The relationship was stronger for infants with several birth defects. Further, women with gestational diabetes were 42 percent more likely to have a baby with a single birth defect and at 50 percent increased risk of having a child with multiple malformations, but this relationship was largely limited to women who were overweight or obese. The researchers recommended that all women with diabetes who are of childbearing age should get into a preconception health care programme, and take 400 micrograms of folic acid on a daily basis. This nutrient has been shown to prevent birth defects of the spinal cord and brain.

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