Risks after Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Taiwanese Women: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study

Gestational diabetes mellitus and development of intergenerational non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) after delivery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

It is known that gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)-complicated pregnancies could affect maternal cardiometabolic health after delivery, resulting in hepatic dysfunction and a heightened risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Hence, this study aims to summarise existing literature on the impact of GDM on NAFLD in mothers and investigate the intergenerational impact on NAFLD in offspring.

Methods

Using 4 databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus) between January 1980 and December 2023, randomized controlled trials and observational studies that assessed the effect of maternal GDM on intergenerational liver outcomes were extracted and analysed using random-effects meta-analysis to investigate the effect of GDM on NAFLD in mothers and offspring. Pooled odds ratio (OR) was calculated using hazards ratio (HR), relative risk (RR), or OR reported from each study, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI), and statistical heterogeneity was assessed with the Cochran Q-test and I2 statistic, with two-sided p values. The study protocol was pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023392428).

Findings

Twenty studies pertaining to mothers and offspring met the inclusion criteria and 12 papers were included further for meta-analysis on intergenerational NAFLD development. Compared with mothers without a history of GDM, mothers with a history of GDM had a 50% increased risk of developing NAFLD (OR 1.50; 95% CI: 1.21-1.87, over a follow-up period of 16 months-25 years. Similarly, compared with offspring born to non-GDM-complicated pregnancies, offspring born to GDM-complicated pregnancies displayed an approximately two-fold elevated risk of NAFLD development (2.14; 1.57-2.92), over a follow-up period of 1-17.8 years.

Interpretation

This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that both mothers and offspring from GDM-complicated pregnancies exhibit a greater risk to develop NAFLD. These findings underline the importance of early monitoring of liver function and prompt intervention of NAFLD in both generations from GDM-complicated pregnancies.

Funding

No funding was available for this research.

Alanine transferase levels (ALT) and triglyceride-glucose index are risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus in obese patients

AIMS

The role of liver steatosis and increased liver enzymes (ALT) in increasing incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is debated, because of their differential effects on different ethnicities and populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of elevated ALT in the development of T2DM in non-diabetic obese subjects receiving routine medical treatment.

METHODS

A total of 1005 subjects [296 men and 709 women, aged 45.7 ± 13.12 years, body mass index (BMI) 39.5 ± 4.86 kg/m2] were followed for a mean period of 14.3 ± 4.44 years. Subjects were evaluated for several metabolic variables, including the triglyceride-glucose index and the presence of metabolic syndrome (IDF 2005 definition), and were subdivided into ALT quartiles.

RESULTS

T2DM developed in 136 subjects, and the difference was significant between the first and the fourth ALT quartile (p = 0.048). Both at univariate analysis and at stepwise regression, ALT quartiles were associated with incident T2DM. Traditional risk factors for T2DM coexisted, with a somehow greater predictive value, such as triglyceride-glucose index, age, arterial hypertension, LDL-cholesterol, and metabolic syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest an association between elevated ALT levels and the risk of incident T2DM in obesity.