The Belgian Diabetes in pregnancy follow-up study

Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. GDM is associated with increased risks for pregnancy complications such as big baby’s and preterm birth. Women with a history of GDM have a high risk to develop a type 2 diabetes (T2DM) within the next ten years after delivery. The children are also at increased risk of developing obesity and T2DM later in life. Studies are needed to find more accurate predictors for the metabolic risk later in life. This will help to individualize the follow-up and to develop tailored prevention strategies in women and offspring with a history of GDM. In this research project we will therefore investigate how the long-term metabolic risk can more accurately be predicted in a follow-up cohort of the ‘Belgian Diabetes in Pregnancy study’ (BEDIP-N). We will study the relationship between maternal weight, degree of body fat and degree of evaluated sugar levels in pregnancy on the long-term metabolic risk of at least 375 women and offspring pairs 3-7 years after the delivery across different gestational glucose tolerance groups based on the 2013 WHO criteria in pregnancy. In addition, we will study whether a promising new biomarker, glycated CD59, is a good predictor for the long-term metabolic risk.