INSULIN-SECRETION IN PATIENTS WITH GESTATIONAL DIABETES - RELATIONSHIP WITH PREGNANCY OUTCOME

The authors observed that there is wide variability in insulin respons e to an oral glucose tolerance test in women developing carbohydrate i ntolerance during pregnancy. This variability ranges from a reduction of pancreatic islet function to a normal or exaggerated secretory patt ern of insulin. Moreover the results also suggest that exaggerated ins ulin secretion and/or high insulin resistance may play a role in the r egulation of gestational blood pressure and that a higher glucose/insu lin ratio may be positively related to birth weight. Clearly, further studies are needed to investigate the impact of this metabolic situati on on the optimization of the clinical control of glucose metabolism a nd fetal homeostasis.