GESTATIONAL DIABETES AND FOLLOW-UP AMONG IMMIGRANT VIETNAM-BORN WOMEN

Gestational diabetes is associated with an increased risk of fetal mac rosomia and perinatal death. Immigrant mothers from Vietnam who delive red in the Mercy Hospital for Women between January 1, 1979 and Decemb er 31, 1990 were investigated to assess their risk of gestational diab etes, the factors that were associated with gestational diabetes, and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus on follow-up. These mothers were c ompared with Australian-born mothers attending the same hospital and w ho delivered in the same period. Using a logistic regression model, ge stational diabetes was found to be more common in Vietnam-born mothers who were older, who were primigravidas, or were underweight and the r isk of gestational diabetes increased over the time period of the stud y. The adjusted relative risk of gestational diabetes for Vietnam-born women was 1.43 (95% confidence limits 1.10, 1.86) compared with Austr alian-born women. The incidence of gestational diabetes was 7.8% (144 of 1,839) in Vietnam-born mothers and 4.3% (1,173 of 27,086) in Austra lian-born mothers. Vietnam-born mothers also had a greater risk of dia betes mellitus on follow-up; 25% (17 of 68) of those with follow-up te sting had developed diabetes mellitus within 9 years of diagnosis of g estational diabetes, in comparison with an incidence of 9% (52 of 581) of Australian-born mothers with follow-up testing. Vietnam-born mothe rs should have glucose tolerance testing performed during pregnancy to detect gestational diabetes and those diagnosed should have long-term follow-up to detect the development of diabetes mellitus.