Endocrine Abstracts

Aims: This population-based cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the recent trends in the prevalence and treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a nationally representative sample of Korean patients. We also investigated trends of annual prevalence rate of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and cesarean section (C-section) in patients with GDM.

Methods: We used data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment-National Patient Sample (HIRA-NPS) database, 2012–2016. GDM, PIH, and C-section weredefined according to ICD-10 codes. Non-GDM (n = 54, 346) and GDM (n = 8,137) patients between 2012 and 2016 were analyzed for each year.

Results: The annual increase of the prevalence of GDM was 11.2% in 2012–2016, with a significant continuous increasing trend (P < 0.0001). Age group-stratified analysis showed that theannual prevalence of GDM significantly increased in below 40 years group, but statistically insignificant increasing trends in above 40 years group. Regarding treatment pattern during pregnancy in patients with GDM, there was no statistically significant increasing or decreasing trend. Diet only treatment showed increasing trend and insulin treatment showed decreasing trend, but both were statistically insignificant. PIH prevalence rate was shown significantly increasing trend by year, but statistically insignificant in both unadjusted and adjusted. Annual increase of C-section rate above 5% in GDM was statistically significant in both unadjusted and adjusted for age and PIH.

Conclusion: The prevalence of GDM in Korean women and C-section rates in women with GDM showed significantly increasing trendfrom 2012 to 2016. The present study is the first study to investigate the prevalence and treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and rates of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and cesarean section between women with and those without GDM in Korea using a large national database. There is a need for further efforts to monitor this trend and to identify associated risk factors for GDM.