What degree of maternal metabolic control in women with type 1 diabetes isassociated with normal body size and proportions in full-term infants?

OBJECTIVE - To assess what degree of maternal metabolic control in women wi th type 1 diabetes is associated with normal fetal growth and results in no rmal neonatal body proportions in a group of full-term infants. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - We investigated the anthropometric characteri stics of 98 full-term singleton infants horn to 98 Caucasian women with typ e 1 diabetes enrolled within 12 weeks of gestation. The type 1 diabetic mot her-infant pairs were divided into three groups on the basis of the daily g lucose levels reached during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy ( group 1: 37 mother-infant pairs with an average daily glucose level during the second and third trimesters of less than or equal to 95 mg/dl; group 2: 37 mother-infant pairs with an average daily glucose level during the seco nd trimester of >95 mg/dl and during the third trimester of less than or eq ual to 95 mg/dl; group 3: 24 mother-infant pairs with an average daily gluc ose level during the second and third trimesters of >95 mg/dl; control grou p: 1.415 Caucasian mother-infant pairs with full-term singleton pregnancies and normal glucose challenge test screened for gestational diabetes. RESULTS - Infants of diabetic mothers in group 1 were similar to those of t he control group in birth weight and in other anthropometric parameters. In contrast, offspring of diabetic mothers of groups 2 and 3 showed an increa sed incidence of large-for-gestational-age infants, significantly greater m eans of ponderal index and thoracic circumferences, and significantly small er cranial/thoracic circumference ratios with respect to the control group. CONCLUSIONS - The results of our study suggest that, in diabetic pregnancie s, only overall daily glucose values less than or equal to 95 mg/dl through out the second and third trimesters can avoid alterations in fetal growth.