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. 2021 Oct;128(11):1881-1887.
doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.16779. Epub 2021 Jul 1.

Seasonal and SARS-CoV-2 pandemic changes in the incidence of gestational diabetes

M Cauldwell  1 , Y van-de-L'Isle  1 , I Watt Coote  1 , P J Steer  2
Affiliations

Seasonal and SARS-CoV-2 pandemic changes in the incidence of gestational diabetes

M Cauldwell et al. BJOG. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: To test the hypothesis that there is seasonal variation in the rates of gestational diabetes (GDM) diagnosed using a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test.

Design: Monthly assessment of the percentage of women screened from 1 April 2016 to the 31 December 2020 who were diagnosed as having gestational diabetes.

Setting: London teaching hospital.

Population: 28 128 women receiving antenatal care between 1 April 2016 and 31 December 2020.

Methods: Retrospective study of prospectively collected data.

Main outcome measures: Proportion of women screened diagnosed as having gestational diabetes.

Results: The mean (SD) percentage of women diagnosed with GDM was 14.78 (2.24) in summer (June, July, August) compared with 11.23 (1.62) in winter (P < 0.001), 12.13 (1.94) in spring (P = 0.002) and 11.88 (2.67) in autumn (P = 0.003). There was a highly significant positive correlation of the percentage testing positive for GDM with the mean maximum monthly temperature (R2 = 0.248, P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant 33.8% increase in the proportion of GDM diagnoses from June 2020 onwards, possibly related to a reduction in exercise secondary to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Conclusions: There is a 23.3% higher rate of GDM diagnoses in the warmer summer months. There has been a 33.8% rise in GDM diagnoses associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tweetable abstract: Rates of GDM are higher in summer and since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Gestational diabetes; screen.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Control chart of proportion of women testing positive by month from 1 April 2016. [Table: see text]
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proportion of women testing positive for GDM by season.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Correlation of percentage of women testing positive for GDM by mean maximum monthly temperature at Heathrow Airport. Percentage of women testing positive for GDM = (temperature × 0.217) + 8.94.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Percent of bookings tested for gestational diabetes. Rule: 4 points out of the last 5 above +1 sigma.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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