Type 1 diabetes increases the risk of premature birth

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Pregnant women with type 1 diabetes are at greater risk of giving birth prematurely. The higher the blood sugar level, the greater the risk to the child.

Swedish scientists have linked and analyzed the data from the nationwide Swedish Birth Register (MFR) with the Swedish National Diabetes Register (NDR). The years 2003 to 2014 were examined.

During this time, 2,474 children of type 1 diabetics were born. Of them, 22.3 percent were born before the 37th week of pregnancy - more than every fifth child. Of the approximately 1.16 million children whose mothers did not suffer from the disease, it was only 4.7 percent.

High values, high risk

The risk of premature birth was particularly high in diabetics who had high HbA1c levels. These reflect the blood sugar over a longer period of time. If it was more than 8 to 9 percent, the risk of premature birth was even 37 percent. A well-controlled blood sugar, on the other hand, could significantly reduce the risk, to 13.2 percent. But that is still significantly higher than the risk of premature birth in pregnant women who are not diabetic.

The study underlines the importance of paying close attention to blood sugar levels, especially during pregnancy.

"This is the first study that is large enough to demonstrate a clear connection between different HbA1c levels and premature births," says study leader Prof. Jonas F. Ludvigsson from the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Stockholm's Karolinska Institutet.

More birth complications and still births

In addition, the study also found an increased risk that the newborns of diabetic patients themselves have high blood sugar levels, received insufficient oxygen at birth or were born dead. The children of type 1 diabetics were also often larger and heavier than average at birth, which is often associated with obesity and a risk of type 2 diabetes later on.

In a previous study, the scientists had already shown that children of type 1 diabetics suffer more often from heart defects. In a subsequent study, the researchers now want to examine the long-term effects of type 1 diabetes on children.

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