To assess growth during early childhood in offspring born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and compare it with growth in offspring of mothers with normal glucose tolerance.
Approach:
Cohort Description: The study involved 135 singleton children born between 2004 and 2008 in North Savo, Eastern Finland, with 77 children from the GDM group and 58 from the control group.
Data Collection: Maternal GDM status was documented, and growth data were retrieved from child health clinic records and evaluated at various ages using standardized protocols.
Statistical Analysis: Analyses were conducted using SPSS version 27, with linear mixed-effects modeling to examine changes in length/height SDS, controlling for maternal factors.
Key Findings:
Children exposed to maternal GDM were larger at birth compared to controls, with mean birth weight SDS of 0.5 vs. -0.1 (p < 0.001) and mean birth length SDS of 0.1 vs. -0.3 (p < 0.01).
From 3 months onward, length/height SDS and weight-for-length/height SDS did not differ significantly between GDM and control groups (p > 0.05).
GDM offspring exhibited early catch-down growth in length, indicating diminishing effects of the intrauterine hyperglycaemic environment.
Limitations:
The small number of GDM-exposed children with early growth data limits the study's findings.
Low participation rates may increase the risk of Type II error.
Conclusion:
Further studies with larger datasets are needed to confirm the observed differences in linear growth between GDM and control offspring.
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