A new emphasis in the diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) aims not only to prevent perinatal morbidity and mortality but also to identify potential long-term maternal complications. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and Urinary Incontinence (UI) are the most prevalent. These studies will lead to new approaches in the health system to identify risk markers during pregnancy to establish strict follow-up, innovative care programs, and new solutions in order to prevent or delay these long-term GDM-associated diseases. Basic scientists, patients, and health team education play a critical role. The risk of T2DM and CVD are alarmingly rising worldwide and is further higher for both the mother and child after a GDM pregnancy. Furthermore, for the mother, GDM is a strong predictor of urinary incontinence (UI) up to two years postpartum even in cases of cesarean section, where there is no vaginal distention, due to gestational diabetic myopathy.
A meta-analysis found a more than sevenfold increased risk of T2DM in women with GDM compared with women with normoglycaemic pregnancies. In 2018, the HAPO Follow-up Study (HAPO-FUS) provided long-term data about maternal and infant outcomes in women who were diagnosed with GDM post hoc. This study provided data about the natural history of untreated GDM (outcomes in the immediate perinatal period and after a mean of 11.4 years follow-up). Women with previous GDM show a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular, kidney, liver, and retinal disease. GDM and UI are two clinical entities with substantial social and economic burdens, associated with significant direct and indirect public health costs. The proposed special issue is intended to evaluate the evidence and address the challenges and benefits of detecting, diagnosing and treating GDM during pregnancy in the short term. However, much remains to be understood about the long-term adverse consequences of GDM, especially how these may be averted in real-life settings. Also about the treatment strategies of GDM during pregnancy and evolving trends in risk factors, prevention, and longer-term follow-up of affected mothers and offspring.
Specific themes include, but are not limited to:
1. Understanding the GDM etiology and its complications on mother and child.
2. Hyperglycemia in pregnancy and its impact on woman’s future risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
3. Role of T2DM in determining retinal, renal, and cardiovascular outcomes in women with previous GDM.
4. Role of exosomes in GDM and exosomes as biomarkers.
5 . GDM and PSUI: GDM-associated pelvic muscle degeneration and atrophy, biochemical and pathophysiological mechanisms.
6. Diagnostic and predictive biomarkers in GDM and its complications.
7. Treatment strategies for gestational diabetic myopathy.
Types of manuscripts
1. Reviews
2. Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis
3. Original Research: Survey, Experimental and Clinical Studies
4. Case Studies
A new emphasis in the diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) aims not only to prevent perinatal morbidity and mortality but also to identify potential long-term maternal complications. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and Urinary Incontinence (UI) are the most prevalent. These studies will lead to new approaches in the health system to identify risk markers during pregnancy to establish strict follow-up, innovative care programs, and new solutions in order to prevent or delay these long-term GDM-associated diseases. Basic scientists, patients, and health team education play a critical role. The risk of T2DM and CVD are alarmingly rising worldwide and is further higher for both the mother and child after a GDM pregnancy. Furthermore, for the mother, GDM is a strong predictor of urinary incontinence (UI) up to two years postpartum even in cases of cesarean section, where there is no vaginal distention, due to gestational diabetic myopathy.
A meta-analysis found a more than sevenfold increased risk of T2DM in women with GDM compared with women with normoglycaemic pregnancies. In 2018, the HAPO Follow-up Study (HAPO-FUS) provided long-term data about maternal and infant outcomes in women who were diagnosed with GDM post hoc. This study provided data about the natural history of untreated GDM (outcomes in the immediate perinatal period and after a mean of 11.4 years follow-up). Women with previous GDM show a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular, kidney, liver, and retinal disease. GDM and UI are two clinical entities with substantial social and economic burdens, associated with significant direct and indirect public health costs. The proposed special issue is intended to evaluate the evidence and address the challenges and benefits of detecting, diagnosing and treating GDM during pregnancy in the short term. However, much remains to be understood about the long-term adverse consequences of GDM, especially how these may be averted in real-life settings. Also about the treatment strategies of GDM during pregnancy and evolving trends in risk factors, prevention, and longer-term follow-up of affected mothers and offspring.
Specific themes include, but are not limited to:
1. Understanding the GDM etiology and its complications on mother and child.
2. Hyperglycemia in pregnancy and its impact on woman’s future risk of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.
3. Role of T2DM in determining retinal, renal, and cardiovascular outcomes in women with previous GDM.
4. Role of exosomes in GDM and exosomes as biomarkers.
5 . GDM and PSUI: GDM-associated pelvic muscle degeneration and atrophy, biochemical and pathophysiological mechanisms.
6. Diagnostic and predictive biomarkers in GDM and its complications.
7. Treatment strategies for gestational diabetic myopathy.
Types of manuscripts
1. Reviews
2. Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis
3. Original Research: Survey, Experimental and Clinical Studies
4. Case Studies
