Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Feb 15, 2025; 16(2): 98438
Published online Feb 15, 2025. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i2.98438
Investigation and study on the epidemiology of gestational diabetes mellitus in Guizhou
Lin Dong, Wei Zhong, Tian Qiao, Zhuo Wang, Yi Liang, Dan-Qing Zhao
Lin Dong, Wei Zhong, Zhuo Wang, Dan-Qing Zhao, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550000, Guizhou Province, China
Tian Qiao, Yi Liang, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550000, Guizhou Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Yi Liang and Dan-Qing Zhao.
Author contributions: Zhao DQ designed the research study; Dong L analyzed the data; Dong L, Zhong W, Qian T, Wang Z, Liang Y and Zhao DQ contributed to editorial changes in the manuscript; All authors read and approved the final manuscript, participated sufficiently in the work and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81960284; and the Science and Technology Support Program of Science and Technology Department of Guizhou Province, No. Qian Ke He Zhi Cheng [2022] Yi Ban 183.
Institutional review board statement: This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Maternal and Child Health Centre of Liupanshui City, Guizhou Province, No. LWL-H2024001.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due (this data involves other studies by our team) but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Dan-Qing Zhao, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Guizhou Medical University, No. 9 Beijing Road, Yunyan District, Guiyang 550000, Guizhou Province, China. zhaodanqing2823@163.com
Received: June 26, 2024
Revised: October 19, 2024
Accepted: November 25, 2024
Published online: February 15, 2025
Processing time: 187 Days and 1.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a growing public health concern, particularly in regions with diverse ethnic populations. Understanding the incidence and risk factors of GDM is crucial for early prevention and management, especially in underrepresented areas like Guizhou Province, China, where geographic and ethnic diversity may influence the disease’s prevalence and risk profiles.

AIM

To investigate the incidence of GDM and identify its associated risk and protective factors among different ethnic groups in Guizhou Province, providing essential data for early prevention strategies.

METHODS

A multi-center retrospective study was conducted, dividing participants into GDM and non-GDM groups according to standardized diagnostic criteria. Data were collected from 103629 deliveries across 40 hospitals in Guizhou. Various demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters were analyzed using logistic regression to identify risk and protective factors for GDM.

RESULTS

Among the 103629 deliveries, 18957 cases of GDM were identified, with an incidence of approximately 18.3%. The risk of GDM was higher in the Han ethnic group compared to minority ethnic groups. The Dong ethnic group had the lowest incidence among the minorities. Key risk factors identified included older age (especially > 35 years), higher pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), light physical activity, gravidity, family history of diabetes, hemoglobin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and direct bilirubin. Protective factors included higher education level, total protein, and albumin. There were also differences based on blood type, with type A associated with higher risk.

CONCLUSION

The incidence rate in Guizhou is 18.3%. Older age (especially > 35 years), Han ethnicity, lower education level, higher pre-pregnancy BMI, light physical activity, and higher gravidity are the main risk factors for GDM. Laboratory findings indicate that higher hemoglobin, higher liver function parameters (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and direct bilirubin), and lower total protein and albumin are associated with a higher risk of GDM. Blood type A has a higher risk of GDM compared to blood types AB and O.

Keywords: Guizhou Province; Gestational diabetes mellitus; Epidemiological investigation; Risk factors; Public health intervention

Core Tip: Guizhou Province, located in southwest China, is a multi-ethnic inhabited area with a unique geographical environment, including plateaus, mountains, and hilly areas. Moreover, medical resources in Guizhou are relatively limited. This study investigates the incidence and related high-risk factors of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Guizhou, evaluates the prevention and treatment measures for gestational diabetes in Guizhou, and puts forward corresponding preventive measures to guide disease monitoring and early intervention for different high-risk factors, so as to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of GDM in the region, so as to reduce the incidence of maternal and infant complications.