Circadian glucose in gestational diabetes
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does variation in circadian glucose profiles predict macrosomia in gestational diabetes?
IRAS ID
122874
Contact name
Eleanor M Scott
Contact email
Research summary
Gestational diabetes is the commonest medical disorder to develop in pregnancy, affecting up to 1 in every 6 pregnancies. It usually develops in the final three months of pregnancy. Having gestational diabetes means that the mother’s blood sugar levels become higher than they should be. The sugar in the mother’s bloodstream crosses the placenta to the baby and makes the baby’s own blood sugar levels go too high. The baby attempts to lower its own blood sugar levels by converting the sugar to fat, which is then stored around its waist. This results in a very large, fat baby (a condition known as ‘macrosomia’). Macrosomic babies are very difficult to give birth to and this can lead to serious problems in labour for both mother and baby, including stillbirth. Even if the baby is delivered safely it is at risk of developing obesity and diabetes in later life. Current treatment aims to lower the mother’s blood sugar and in doing so lower their baby’s sugar, so that the baby grows normally. Despite success in lowering mums blood sugar during the day large babies are still born. This makes us wonder what is happening to the mothers blood sugar overnight whilst the mum is asleep and unable to monitor her blood sugar level. It is only recently that a special monitoring device has become available that allows us to easily monitor sugar levels every few seconds across the 24 hour day. The 24 hour sugar profile that is associated with the development of macrosomia in women with gestational diabetes is unknown, but we think that it is likely to be different to that seen in mums with gestational diabetes who don’t have macrosomic babies. We have previously shown that this is the case in women who develop diabetes before they become pregnant (Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes).
Aims and objectives:
We will find out in women with gestational diabetes:
1) how glucose levels change throughout the day and night;
2) whether differences in these levels predict macrosomia; and
3) the extent to which different treatments successfully normalise blood glucose levels and avoid macrosomia.Potential applications and benefits:
Addressing these three aims will help us to understand why so many women with gestational diabetes develop big, fat babies even when they receive the best available medical care. It will also help us to then develop new treatments to reduce macrosomia, leading to safer and healthier birth outcomes for women with gestational diabetes and their baby.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/YH/0268
Date of REC Opinion
29 Aug 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion