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O R I G I N A L A R T I C L E

What Is Gestational Diabetes?


THOMAS A. BUCHANAN, MD1 SIRI L. KJOS, MD3 in circulating glucose levels over the
ANNY XIANG, PHD2 RICHARD WATANABE, PHD2 course of pregnancy are quite small com-
pared with the large changes in insulin
sensitivity. Thus, robust plasticity of
␤-cell function in the face of progressive

G
estational diabetes mellitus (GDM) otherwise healthy individuals. Regardless
is defined as glucose intolerance of the glucose thresholds that are used to insulin resistance is the hallmark of nor-
with onset or first recognition dur- diagnose GDM, the patients are relatively mal glucose regulation during pregnancy.
ing pregnancy. As such, GDM is the prod- young individuals whose glucose levels Like all forms of hyperglycemia,
uct of routine glucose tolerance screening are in the upper end of the population GDM results from an endogenous insulin
that is currently carried out in otherwise distribution during pregnancy. A small supply that is inadequate to meet tissue
healthy individuals. Like other forms of minority of those women have glucose insulin demands. Inadequate insulin se-
hyperglycemia, GDM is characterized by levels that would be diagnostic of diabetes cretion is most easily demonstrated in late
pancreatic ␤-cell function that is insuffi- outside of pregnancy. The large majority pregnancy, when insulin requirements
cient to meet the body’s insulin needs. have lower glucose levels when they are are uniformly high and differ only slightly
Available evidence suggests that ␤-cell diagnosed with GDM, but they are at high between normal women and women with
defects in GDM result from the same risk for developing diabetes after preg- GDM (2– 8). By contrast, insulin re-
spectrum of causes that underlie hyper- nancy. Together, patients with GDM offer sponses to nutrients are much lower in
glycemia in general, including autoim- an important opportunity to study the women with GDM (2,3,5–9). One poten-
mune disease, monogenic causes, and evolution of diabetes and to develop, test, tial pathophysiology for GDM is a limita-
insulin resistance. Thus, GDM often rep- and implement strategies for diabetes pre- tion in pancreatic ␤-cell reserve that
resents diabetes in evolution and, as such, vention and early treatment. becomes manifest as hyperglycemia only
holds great potential as a condition in when insulin secretion does not increase
which to study the pathogenesis of diabe- GLUCOSE REGULATION IN to match the increased insulin needs of
tes and to develop and test strategies for PREGNANCY AND GDM — Preg- late pregnancy. At first glance, studies
diabetes prevention. nancy is normally attended by progres- conducted outside of pregnancy seem to
sive insulin resistance that begins near support that scenario. Insulin levels are
DETECTION: POPULATION mid-pregnancy and progresses through often similar between women without
SCREENING FOR GLUCOSE the third trimester to levels that approxi- and with a history of GDM (3,7–11), sug-
INTOLERANCE — The clinical de- mate the insulin resistance seen in type 2 gesting that inadequate insulin secretion
tection of GDM is accomplished in differ- diabetes. The insulin resistance of preg- in the GDM group was limited to preg-
ent ways in different countries. In general, nancy may result from a combination of nancy. However, women with a history of
the approaches apply one or more of the increased maternal adiposity and the in- GDM are usually considerably more insu-
following procedures: 1) clinical risk as- sulin-desensitizing effects of hormones lin resistant than nonpregnant normal
sessment, 2) glucose tolerance screening, made by the placenta. Rapid abatement of women. Thus, insulin levels would be
and 3) formal glucose tolerance testing. insulin resistance after delivery suggests a higher in the prior GDM patients if their
The procedures are applied to pregnant major contribution from placental hor- ␤-cell function were normal. The similar-
women not already known to have diabe- mones. Potential mechanisms underlying ity of insulin levels in the face of differing
tes. Controversies regarding the optimal the normal insulin resistance of preg- insulin resistance reveals at a qualitative
methods for detecting GDM are beyond nancy are reviewed by Barbour et al. (1) level a ␤-cell defect in women with prior
the scope of this article. The relevant elsewhere in this supplement. Pancreatic GDM. The defect can be quantified by ex-
point is that the screening for GDM is the ␤-cells normally increase their insulin se- pressing insulin levels relative to each in-
only standard medical practice that ap- cretion to compensate for the insulin re- dividual’s degree of insulin resistance,
plies screening for glucose intolerance to sistance of pregnancy. As a result, changes using the hyperbolic relationship that ex-
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ists between insulin sensitivity and insu-
From the 1Departments of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Physiology and Biophysics, University lin secretion (12–15). That approach
of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California; the 2Department of Preventive reveals a large defect in pancreatic ␤-cell
Medicine, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California; and the function in women with GDM both dur-
3
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Thomas A. Buchanan, MD, Rm. 6602 GNH, 1200 N. ing and after pregnancy (8,10,15). Figure
State St., Los Angeles, CA 90089-9317. E-mail: buchanan@usc.edu. 1 displays data from Homko et al. (7) and
Received for publication 28 March 2006 and accepted in revised form 29 November 2006. data from our own group that make this
T.A.B. has acted on a speaker’s bureau and advisory board for and received grant support from Takeda point clearly. In both sets of data, differ-
Pharmaceuticals. A.X. has received grant support from Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
This article is based on a presentation at a symposium. The symposium and the publication of this article ences in insulin resistance between nor-
were made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from LifeScan, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company. mal and GDM groups are greatest outside
Abbreviations: DPP, Diabetes Prevention Program; GDM, gestational diabetes mellitus; PIPOD, Pioglit- of pregnancy, while differences in insulin
azone in Prevention of Diabetes; TRIPOD, Troglitazone in Prevention of Diabetes. levels or secretion are greatest during the
A table elsewhere in this issue shows conventional and Système International (SI) units and conversion
factors for many substances.
third trimester. However, changes in in-
DOI: 10.2337/dc07-s201 sulin sensitivity and secretion occur in
© 2007 by the American Diabetes Association. parallel in the two groups, albeit at lower

DIABETES CARE, VOLUME 30, SUPPLEMENT 2, JULY 2007 S105


What is GDM?

ies of women with GDM or a history


thereof. These mediators include in-
creased circulating levels of leptin (20)
and the inflammatory markers tumor ne-
crosis factor-␣ (21) and C-reactive pro-
tein (22), decreased levels of adiponectin
(23,24), and increased fat in liver (25)
and muscle (26). In vitro studies of adi-
pose tissue and skeletal muscle from
women with GDM or a history thereof
have revealed abnormalities in the insulin
signaling pathway (27–30), abnormal
Figure 1—A: Relationships between prehepatic insulin secretion rate calculated from deconvo-
subcellular localization of GLUT4 trans-
lution of C-peptide levels and insulin sensitivity calculated as steady-state glucose utilization
divided by steady-state insulin levels, both during steady-state hyperglycemia (3 h, 180 mg/dl). porters (31), decreased expression of perox-
Data are from seven women who had GDM and eight women who maintained normal glucose isome proliferator–activated receptor-␥
tolerance during pregnancy, all studied by Homko et al. (7). Figure is reproduced from Buchanan (27), and overexpression of membrane gly-
(15). B: Relationships between acute insulin response to intravenous glucose (AIRg, incremental coprotein 1 (29), all of which could contrib-
insulin area during first 10 min after glucose injection) and insulin sensitivity measured by the ute to the observed reductions in insulin-
minimal model (min⫺1 per ␮U/ml ⫻ 104) in 99 Hispanic women who had GDM and seven mediated glucose transport. To date,
Hispanic women who maintained normal glucose tolerance during and after pregnancy. For both studies of cellular mechanisms of insulin re-
studies, tests were performed in the third trimester and again remote from pregnancy. Curved lines sistance in GDM have been small, and it is
represent insulin sensitivity-secretion relationships defined by the product of insulin sensitivity not clear whether any of these abnormalities
and secretion in nonpregnant women.
represent universal or even common abnor-
malities underlying the chronic insulin re-
overall insulin levels in the GDM groups. Nonetheless, precise measures of insulin sistance that is very frequent in GDM.
␤-Cell compensation for insulin resis- sensitivity applied in the third trimester The data presented in Fig. 1 and serial
tance is reduced to a similar degree during have revealed slightly greater insulin re- studies of insulin sensitivity and secretion
and after pregnancy in both studies (by 39 sistance in women with GDM than in nor- before and during pregnancy (3,9) reveal
and 47%, respectively, in the Homko mal pregnant women. The additional that many women with GDM have the
study and by 69 and 62%, respectively, in resistance occurs for insulin’s actions to ability to change their insulin secretion
our study). These findings, which are stimulate glucose disappearance (2,3) reciprocally to short-term changes in in-
consistent with the earlier studies of Cata- and to suppress both glucose production sulin sensitivity. However, they do so
lano et al. (3,9), provide evidence that (2,3) and fatty acid levels (2). Abatement along an insulin sensitivity-secretion rela-
GDM represents detection of chronic of the physiological insulin resistance of tionship that is ⬃40 –70% lower (i.e.,
␤-cell dysfunction, rather than develop- pregnancy after delivery leads to a greater 40 –70% less insulin for any degree of in-
ment of relative insulin deficiency as insulin increase in insulin sensitivity in normal sulin resistance) than the relationship in
resistance increases during pregnancy. women than in women with GDM. In normal women. Thus, many women with
Thus, the routine glucose screening that is other words, the abatement reveals a sep- GDM do not have a fixed limitation in
conducted during pregnancy serves as a arate chronic form of insulin resistance in their insulin secretory capacity. Rather,
useful tool for detection of women with the women who had GDM. This finding they have insulin secretion that is low rel-
chronic and, as we will see below, often of greater insulin resistance in women ative to their insulin sensitivity, but
worsening ␤-cell dysfunction. with prior GDM has been consistent acutely responsive to changing sensitiv-
While the full array of causes of ␤-cell across studies in which whole-body insu- ity. It is important to distinguish these
dysfunction in humans remains to be de- lin sensitivity has been measured directly short-term relationships between insulin
termined, clinical classification of diabe- (8,10,11,16 –19). It indicates that most, sensitivity and secretion, which occur
tes outside of pregnancy is based on three although probably not all (see below), over several months, from changes that
general categories of dysfunction: 1) oc- women who develop GDM have chronic occur over the course of years (Fig. 2).
curring on a background of chronic insu- insulin resistance. Serial measurements of The short-term changes reflect normal
lin resistance, 2) autoimmune, and 3) insulin sensitivity starting before preg- physiology, albeit offset to insulin levels
monogenic. There is evidence that each of nancy have documented insulin resis- that are lower than normal for the degree
these three categories contributes to tance before conception and at the of insulin resistance. The long-term
␤-cell dysfunction in cases of GDM, a fact beginning of the second trimester in changes often reflect progressive loss of
that is not surprising given that GDM is women with GDM (3,9). ␤-cell compensation for insulin resistance
detected by what amounts to population Given that GDM represents a cross (Fig. 2A), a loss that leads to progressive
screening for elevated glucose levels in section of glucose intolerance in young hyperglycemia and diabetes (Fig. 2B).
young women. women, mechanisms that lead to chronic Routine blood glucose screening during
insulin resistance in GDM are likely as pregnancy appears to identify women
GDM on background of chronic varied as they are in the general popula- with declining ␤-cell function at a time
insulin resistance tion. Obesity is a common antecedent of when they may be amenable to interven-
During pregnancy, when GDM is diag- GDM, and many of the biochemical me- tions to slow or stop progression to
nosed, insulin sensitivity is quite low in diators of insulin resistance that occur in diabetes (see below).
normal women and in women with GDM. obesity have been identified in small stud- The etiology of falling ␤-cell function

S106 DIABETES CARE, VOLUME 30, SUPPLEMENT 2, JULY 2007


Buchanan and Associates

patients tend not to be obese or insulin


resistant. Both features point to ab-
normalities in the regulation of ␤-cell
mass and/or function that are severe
enough to cause hyperglycemia in the ab-
sence of insulin resistance. Mutations that
cause several subtypes of MODY have
been found in women with GDM. These
include mutations in genes for glucoki-
nase (MODY2) (42,47– 49), hepatocyte
nuclear factor 1␣ (MODY3) (42), and in-
Figure 2—A: Coordinate changes in SI and AIRg, as defined in Fig. 1, in 71 nonpregnant Hispanic
sulin promoter factor 1 (MODY4) (42).
women with prior GDM. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTTs) were performed after index
pregnancies at 15-month intervals for up to 5 years or until fasting glucose exceeded 140 mg/dl. Mitochondrial gene mutations have also
Symbols are mean (⫾ SE) at initial and final visits, during median follow-up of 44 months in 24 been found in small numbers of patients
women who had diabetes at one or more evaluations (diabetes ⫽ yes), and during median fol- with GDM (50). These monogenic forms
low-up of 47 months in 47 women who were not diabetic at any evaluation (diabetes ⫽ no). B: of GDM appear to account for only a small
Coordinate changes in ␤-cell compensation for insulin resistance (disposition index, the product of fraction of cases of GDM (42,47–50).
SI and AIRg) and 2-h glucose levels from 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests in the same 71 women. They likely represent examples of preex-
Symbols represent mean data at 15-month intervals, ordered relative to final visits. Arrows denote isting diabetes that is first detected by rou-
direction of change over time. The mean disposition index in Hispanic women without a history of tine glucose screening during pregnancy.
GDM was 2,018. Adapted from Xiang et al. (57).
GDM: AN OPPORTUNITY
that occurs on a background of chronic GDM and autoimmune ␤-cell FOR THE STUDY OF
insulin resistance is unknown. Small- dysfunction EVOLVING DIABETES AND
scale genetic studies comparing frequen- A small minority (ⱕ10% in most studies) FOR DIABETES
cies of alleles known to be associated with of women with GDM have circulating an- PREVENTION — GDM is a form of
diabetes outside of pregnancy or to be in- tibodies to pancreatic islets (anti-islet cell hyperglycemia that is detected at one
volved in glucose metabolism have re- antibodies) or to ␤-cell antigens such as point in a woman’s life. Some women
vealed small but statistically significant GAD (anti-GAD antibodies) (2,41– 46). have hyperglycemia that is already in the
differences between normal women and Although detailed physiological studies range that would be diagnostic of diabetes
women with GDM for variants in the pro- are lacking in these women, they most outside of pregnancy. The rest have glu-
moter of the glucokinase gene that is rel- likely have inadequate insulin secretion cose intolerance that could be 1) limited
atively specific for ␤-cells (32), in the resulting from autoimmune damage to to pregnancy, 2) chronic and stable, or 3)
calpain-10 gene (33), in the gene for the and destruction of pancreatic ␤-cells. a stage in progression to diabetes. As re-
sulfonylurea receptor 1 (34), and in the They appear to have evolving type 1 dia- cently reviewed by Kim et al. (51), long-
gene for the ␤-3 adrenoreceptor. Insulin betes that comes to clinical attention term follow-up studies reveal that most,
resistance was not characterized in these through routine glucose screening during but probably not all, women with GDM
studies, so it is not clear whether the find- pregnancy. Whether pregnancy can actu- go on to develop diabetes outside of preg-
ings are specifically relevant to evolving ally initiate or accelerate islet-directed au- nancy, especially during the first decade
type 2 diabetes. Observations by our toimmunity is unknown. The frequency after the index pregnancy (Fig. 3). Thus,
group in Hispanic women with prior of anti-islet and anti-GAD antibodies in in most women, GDM is a stage in the
GDM indicate that they develop progres- GDM tends to parallel ethnic trends in the evolution of diabetes, leading to recom-
sive loss of ␤-cell function as a result of prevalence of type 1 diabetes outside of mendations that women with GDM be
high insulin secretory demands. Reduc- pregnancy. Patients with anti-islet or anti- tested for diabetes soon after pregnancy
ing the secretory demands by treating in- GAD antibodies often, but not invariably, and periodically thereafter. Optimal tim-
sulin resistance with the thiazolidinedione are lean. They can have a rapidly progres- ing of such testing has not been estab-
compound, troglitazone (35), preserved sive course to overt diabetes after preg- lished. Diabetes prevalence rates of
␤-cell function and reduced the risk of nancy (43). ⬃10% in the first few months postpartum
progression to type 2 diabetes. We have (52) support testing at that time. Diabetes
recently observed the same phenomenon GDM and monogenic diabetes incidence rates in the range of 5–10% per
using another thiazolidinedione drug, Monogenic forms of diabetes outside of year support annual retesting. Oral glu-
pioglitazone (36). These findings suggest pregnancy can result from variants in au- cose tolerance testing is more sensitive in
that Hispanic women who develop GDM tosomes (autosomal dominant inheri- detecting diabetes, as it is currently de-
do not tolerate high levels of insulin se- tance pattern, commonly referred to as fined, than is measurement of fasting glu-
cretion for prolonged periods of time. The “maturity-onset diabetes of the young” or cose levels (53).
biology underlying poor tolerance of high “MODY” with genetic subtypes denoted The types of diabetes that develop after
rates of insulin secretion is speculative at MODY1, MODY2, etc.) and from variants GDM have generally not been investigated.
this time, but could include susceptibility in mitochondrial DNA (maternally inher- However, the causes and contributions of
to ␤-cell apoptosis induced by islet- ited diabetes, often with distinct clinical insulin resistance and poor insulin secretion
associated amyloid polypeptide (37,38), syndromes such as deafness). The age at that occur in GDM (see above) are likely to
oxidative stress (39), or stress to the en- onset tends to be young relative to other be involved in diabetes that occurs after
doplasmic reticulum (40) . forms of nonimmune diabetes, and GDM as well. Type 2 diabetes almost cer-

DIABETES CARE, VOLUME 30, SUPPLEMENT 2, JULY 2007 S107


What is GDM?

GDM, and 4) metformin was more effec-


tive in reducing the risk of diabetes in
women with a history of GDM than in
women who gave no such history (50%
vs. 14% risk reductions, respectively). In
the TRIPOD study, assignment of His-
panic women with prior GDM to treat-
ment with the insulin-sensitizing drug
troglitazone was associated with a 55%
reduction in the incidence of diabetes.
Protection from diabetes was closely
linked to initial reductions in endogenous
insulin requirements (Fig. 4) and was ul-
timately associated with stabilization of
Figure 3—Cumulative incidence of diabetes after GDM in five studies (59 – 65). Adapted from pancreatic ␤-cell function (35). Stabiliza-
Kim et al. (51).
tion of ␤-cell function was also observed
when troglitazone treatment was started
tainly predominates, given the overall prev- activity resulted in a 58% reduction in the at the time of initial detection of diabetes
alence of the disease in relation to other risk of type 2 diabetes in adults with im- by annual glucose tolerance testing (56).
forms of diabetes and the fact that risk fac- paired glucose tolerance. GDM was one of In the PIPOD study, administration of an-
tors such as obesity and weight gain are the risk factors that led to inclusion in the other insulin-sensitizing drug, pioglita-
shared between GDM and type 2 diabetes. study. Protection against diabetes was ob- zone, to the same high-risk patient group
However, immune and monogenic forms of served in all ethnic groups. Treatment revealed stabilization of previously falling
diabetes occur as well. These latter subtypes with metformin in the same study also ␤-cell function (57) and a close associa-
of diabetes should be considered in women reduced the risk of diabetes, but to a lesser tion between reduced insulin require-
who do not appear to be insulin resistant degree and primarily in the youngest and ments and a low risk of diabetes (Fig. 4).
(e.g., lean patients). Anti-GAD antibodies most overweight participants. Analysis of The DPP, TRIPOD, and PIPOD studies
can identify women who may have evolving data from parous women who entered the support clinical management that focuses
type 1 diabetes. While there is no specific DPP with or without a history of GDM (B. on aggressive treatment of insulin resis-
intervention to delay or prevent that dis- Ratner, personal communication) re- tance to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
ease, patients should be followed closely for vealed that 1) the women with prior GDM Glycemia should also be monitored to
development of hyperglycemia, which may were younger than women with no his- evaluate success (i.e., stable or falling gly-
occur relatively rapidly after pregnancy tory of GDM, 2) the women with prior cemia) and to detect failure (rising glyce-
(43). Clinical testing for variants that cause GDM had a 60% greater cumulative inci- mia and/or diabetes if it develops).
monogenic forms of diabetes is becoming dence of diabetes after 3 years of follow-
available, but interpretation of the results up, 3) intensive lifestyle modification SUMMARY AND FUTURE
can be complicated, and consultation with reduced the risk of diabetes by a similar DIRECTIONS — The full array of
an expert in monogenic diabetes is advised. degree in women with and without prior causes of hyperglycemia in GDM is not
Early-onset diabetes with an appropriate
family history—autosomal-dominant in-
heritance for MODY, maternal inheritance
for mitochondrial mutations—may provide
a clue to the presence of those diseases. Like
autoimmune diabetes, there is no specific
disease-modifying treatment for these
forms of diabetes, although patients with
MODY due to mutations in hepatic nuclear
factor 1␣ appear to respond well to treat-
ment with insulin secretagogues (54). Ge-
netic counseling may be appropriate for
patients with monogenic diabetes and their
families.
Results from the Diabetes Prevention
Program (DPP), the Troglitazone in Pre-
vention of Diabetes (TRIPOD), and Pio- Figure 4—Relationship between initial fractional reduction in insulin output and corresponding
glitazone in Prevention of Diabetes diabetes incidence rates during drug treatment in the troglitazone arm of the TRIPOD study (F,
median duration of treatment ⫽ 31 months) and in the PIPOD study (f, median duration of
(PIPOD) studies reveal approaches that
treatment ⫽ 35 months). Insulin output was assessed as the total area under the insulin curve
can be used to delay or prevent diabetes in during 4-h, tolbutamide-modified intravenous glucose tolerance tests. Reductions in insulin output
women whose clinical characteristics sug- were calculated between enrollment into each study and the initial on-treatment IVGTT, which
gest a risk of type 2 diabetes. In the DPP occurred after 3 months in TRIPOD and after 1 year in PIPOD. Symbols represent the low, middle,
(55), intensive lifestyle modification to and high tertile of change in each study. Lines represent best linear fits of data for each study.
promote weight loss and increase physical Reproduced from Xiang et al. (36).

S108 DIABETES CARE, VOLUME 30, SUPPLEMENT 2, JULY 2007


Buchanan and Associates

known. However, available data suggest maceutical Research (the TRIPOD study), and tory of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 21:
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glucose tolerance in man: measurement of
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Clinical Scientist Award), Parke-Davis Phar- can-American women with a parental his- central role of maternal obesity. J Clin En-

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