ABSTRACT
An extensive literature is available, tracking health outcomes at adulthood for the offspring of diabetic mothers. Extensive data on the consequences of exposure to diabetes in utero on childhood overweight and obesity and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) have been obtained from studies on Pima Indians, a population with an exceptionally high prevalence of obesity and T2D due to genetic reasons. Accordingly, the offspring born to mothers with pregestational T2D or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are heavier at birth and at every age than those born to nondiabetic mothers. Offspring of Pima mothers who had diabetes during pregnancy had higher systolic arterial blood pressure than offspring of mothers who did not develop T2D until after pregnancy: this was independent of the levels of adiposity. Treatment of GDM may be an important determinant of offspring outcomes, but there is insufficient information to firmly assess the effects of maternal interventions on infant and child health.
