Diabetes in pregnancy : lessons for developing countries
Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Sun Media
Abstract
Pregnancy diabetes is fast becoming a common condition across the world
with developing countries particularly affected. In the short term, maternal
hyperglycaemia worsens pregnancy outcomes, but in the long run, it appears to
be a precursor to diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the mother and obesity
and diabetes in the child. Thus, pregnancy diabetes is thought to contribute to
the escalating epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Classic thinking is that pregnancy
diabetes consists of pre-gestational diabetes and gestational diabetes. There are
considerable confusion and controversy about the diagnosis and management of
gestational diabetes. There is increasing evidence that risk factors and metabolic disturbances of gestational diabetes patients are present long before pregnancy,
implicating peri-conceptional fetal programming of future obesity and diabetes.
This chapter reviews what developing countries need to consider as a public health
challenge in the context of gestational diabetes and how to contribute to research
that will improve the understanding of the condition: biology, diagnosis, costeffective
treatment, and long-term contribution to the health and economy of the
nation. A lot can be learned from the experience of the developed world that will
help to avoid the pitfalls plaguing this field. Forming a multinational consortium
may improve the efficiency of such research.
Description
CITATION: Yajnik, C. et al. 2020. Diabetes in pregnancy : lessons for developing countries, in Macnab, A., Daar, A. & Pauw, C. 2020. Health in transition : translating developmental origins of health and disease science to improve future health in Africa. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928357759/10.
The original publication is available at https://africansunmedia.store.it.si/za
The original publication is available at https://africansunmedia.store.it.si/za
Keywords
Diabetes in pregnancy, Pregnancy -- Complications
Citation
Yajnik, C. et al. 2020. Diabetes in pregnancy : lessons for developing countries, in Macnab, A., Daar, A. & Pauw, C. 2020. Health in transition : translating developmental origins of health and disease science to improve future health in Africa. Stellenbosch: SUN PReSS, doi:10.18820/9781928357759/10.