Assessment of glycemic status of gestational diabetic women on antihyperglycemic medication and neonatal outcome of their offspring

Abstract

Aim: The study was initiated with the aim of assessing and comparing the glycemic status of gestational diabetic women on antihyperglycemic medication therapy and neonatal outcome of their offspring. Methodology: The study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital set up located in northern Kerala. The two-step approach of American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines was followed to confirm the diagnosis of GDM. The participants with confirmed GDM were sent to a physician for consultation and antihyperglycemic medication was prescribed to the GDM women, who failed to achieve euglycemic status on physical exercise and dietary modifications. Result: During the study period 286 pregnant women were diagnosed with GDM, among them 146 participants were treated with metformin, and 140 were treated with insulin. The result of the study showed that both the drug treatments were found to be effective in maintaining blood sugar levels in the normal range throughout the pregnancy period. Also, metformin treatment was observed to cause better neonatal outcomes in offsprings of the study participants. Conclusion: The study concluded both metformin and insulin exhibited excellent glycemic control in GDM women and metformin treatment was observed to cause minimal neonatal complications when compared with Insulin therapy.