Maternal and paternal family history of diabetes in women with gestationaldiabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus type I

Animal studies have shown that prenatal exposure to a diabetic intrauterine milieu leads to an increased risk in the female offspring of developing ge stational diabetes IGD). In the present study, the family history of non-in sulin-dependent diabetes mellitus type II (NIDDM) and insulin-dependent dia betes mellitus type I (IDDM) was evaluated in 106 women with GD, as compare d to 189 women with IDDM. In GD patients, the prevalence of diabetes was si gnificantly greater in mothers than in fathers (p = 0.03). This was mainly due to a greater prevalence of NIDDM in the mothers (p = 0.05). Furthermore , a significant aggregation of NIDDM was also observed in the maternal-gran dmaternal line of GD women, as compared to the paternal-grandpaternal side (p = 0.02). In patients with IDDM no significant difference concerning the prevalence of any type of diabetes between mothers and fathers was observed . In conclusion, an aggregation of NIDDM in mothers and grandmothers of wom en with GD is reported here. A history of NIDDM on the maternal side of pre gnant women should be considered as a particular risk factor for GD and, he nce, for intergenerative transmission of NIDDM which therefore might be pre vented, at least in part, by strict avoidance of GD. Copyright (C) 2001 S. KargerAG, Basel.