Gestational diabetes could increase risk of type 2 diabetes for black women

A new study has claimed that black women who suffer from gestational diabetes are at substantially higher risk of later developing type 2 diabetes. It was found that black women with gestational diabetes were at the highest risk, even though they had a lower prevalence than Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics, according to the research.
The researchers from the United States, whose work was published in Diabetologia, examined data from nearly 140,000 women who underwent a singleton pregnancy between 1995 and 2008. For black women who had glucose intolerance during their pregnancy, the rate for later diabetes was 29 per 1,000 person-years, as compared to that of 3.2 per 1,000 for those with normal glucose levels during their pregnancies, a 9.2-fold higher rate of diabetes.
Of the patients, just over 10 per cent had gestational diabetes, and the highest prevalence was found to be for people from the Asian/Pacific islands, followed by those of Hispanic origin. The prevalence was around the same for white and black women. It was recommended that ethnicity should be a consideration when looking at the screening and counselling of women who develop gestational diabetes, especially it they are black.
The report stated that “Whether this difference is due to genetics, environment, lifestyle, or other differences among ethnic groups will require further investigation.”