Prevalence, risk factors and pregnancy outcomes of women with gestational diabetes in Croatia – a national study

Introduction. Gestational diabetes is a very important obstetrical issue and one of the most frequent metabolic disorders with differing prevalence among various populations. Aim. To determine the prevalence of gestational diabetes in Croatia and to detect main risk factors and adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with gestational diabetes. Methods. This is a cross sectional study performed using data from medical birth certificates collected in 2014 in Croatia. All pregnant women who gave birth in year 2014 were included in the study, excluding those with known diabetes mellitus type I or type II. Results. Among 39.132 deliveries in 2014 incidence of gestational diabetes was 4.67%. Women with gestational diabetes were older, more overweight before pregnancy but gained less weight during pregnancy (all P’s < 0.001). Onset of labour among women with gestational diabetes was less often spontaneous and more often induced. Also, women with gestational diabetes had a signifi cantly lower incidence of vaginal delivery and concomitantly a higher incidence of delivery by caesarean section. Women with gestational diabetes gave birth to infants with higher birth weight, but other neonatal complications were not more often present among neonates of women with gestational diabetes compared to neonates of women without gestational diabetes. Conclusion. Prevalence of gestational diabetes in Croatia based on medical birth certificates is 4.67% and gestational diabetes in Croatia is associated with important risk factors and adverse perinatal outcomes