Gestational diabetes mellitus in women of single gravidity in Tianjin City, China

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and risk factors for the development of GDM in pregnant women in Tianjin, China, where the prevalence of GDM is still unknown. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 9,471 pregnant women living in the six urban districts of Tianjin, China, took part in the initial screening between December 1998 and December 1999. The screening test consisted of a 50-g 1-h glucose test. Women with a reading > or =7.8 mmol/l at the initial screening were invited to undergo a 75-g 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). GDM was confirmed using the World Health Organization's diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: At the initial screening test, 888 women had a glucose reading of > or =7.8 mmol/l. A total of 701 (79%) women took a subsequent OGTT. Of these, 174 women were confirmed to have GDM (154 with impaired glucose tolerance IGT] and 20 with diabetes). The prevalence of GDM was 2.31% (2.03% for IGT and 0.28% for diabetes), adjusting for serum glucose levels at the initial screening test. Independent predictors for GDM were maternal age, stature, prepregnancy BMI, weight gain in pregnancy before screening, diabetes in first-degree relatives, and habitual cigarette smoking during pregnancy. Women who smoked or had a short stature are more likely to develop GDM than their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of GDM in pregnant women in the city of Tianjin, China, was 2.31%. Short stature and smoking in pregnancy were additional risk factors for GDM.