Integrated care of diabetes during pregnancy: a Qatari nationwide cohort

Background Diabetes in pregnancy (DIP) is associated with adverse fetal and maternal outcomes. DIP is classified as either pre-existing or new-onset diabetes mellitus (DM), which is classified into gestational DM (GDM) and newly detected type 2 (N-T2D). All pregnant women in Qatar who are not known to have pre-existing DM are offered screening for DIP during the first antenatal care visit and after 24 weeks gestation. The study aims to report the DIP screening rates, the prevalence of DIP, and the impact of the universal screening program on adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods This retrospective study included all women who gave birth in Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) hospitals between 2019 and 2022. New-onset DIP was defined using the WHO-2013 criteria. The primary outcomes were the screening rates and the prevalence of DIP in Qatar. The secondary outcomes were the difference in preterm delivery, C-section, macrosomia, large for gestational age (LGA), small for gestational age (SGA), and intra-uterine fetal death (IUFD) between women with or without GDM. Findings We included 94,422 women who gave birth to 96,017 neonates (85.7%) out of 112,080 neonates born nationwide. The number of women with pre-existing diabetes was 2496 women. Of 91,926 eligible women, 77,372 (84.2%) were screened for DIP. The prevalence of GDM is 31.6% (95% CI: 31.3–32.0%); N-T2D is 2.2% (95% CI: 2.1–2.3%), and pre-existing Type 2 DM and Type 1 DM was 2.6% (95% CI: 0.8–3.0%) and 0.2% (0.19–0.25), respectively. Compared to the non-GDM group, women with GDM were older (30.8 ± 5.3 versus 29.7 ± 5.2 years, p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, women with GDM had lower risk of IUFD and SGA (0.63 [95% CI 0.50–0.80, p < 0.001], 0.88 [95% CI 0.84–0.92, p < 0.001] respectively) but higher risk of C-section and LFD (1.07 [95% CI 1.04–1.10, p < 0.001], 1.09 [95% CI 1.01–1.15, p = 0.01], respectively, compared to women with no-GDM. Interpretation Of the women eligible for screening, 84.2% were screened by the DIP program in Qatar. The prevalence of DIP in Qatar is 36.9%. Integrated care is critical for the screening and management of diabetes during pregnancy. Fundings The authors did not receive any funding for this project.