Spike in gestational diabetes a risk for both mothers & newborns

Gestational diabetes — a form of high blood sugar affecting pregnant women — is significantly rising in India, posing severe risk to both the mother and the baby, according to health experts. The prevalence of gestational diabetes among pregnant women is known to be high around the world, including in India. The increase in instances of gestational diabetes can be attributed to several causes, including lifestyle modifications, urbanisation, sedentary habits, and genetic susceptibility. According to a recent report by Chennai-based Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI), the prevalence rate of gestational diabetes in India is between 10-14 per cent. Arathi Bharat, Consultant – Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Motherhood Hospitals, Bengaluru, said that she is seeing “2 to 3 diabetes complicating pregnancy per week”. “Sometimes 20 plus patients in a month. I am seeing more diabetic patients than those with hypertension.” The increase could also be attributed to the recent Covid-19 pandemic, where gestational diabetes rose from 21 per cent pre-pandemic to 25 per cent in the second year, revealed a recent research presented at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Illinois, the US.