TITLE:
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Its Associated Risk Factors in Pregnant Women at Selected Health Facilities in Kigali City, Rwanda
AUTHORS:
Jean Baptsite Niyibizi, Florien Safari, Jean Bosco Ahishakiye, Jean Bosco Habimana, Herbert Mapira, Ngule Chrispus Mutuku
KEYWORDS:
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), Prevalence, Pregnancy, Age Group, Risk Factors
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Diabetes Mellitus,
Vol.6 No.4,
November
2,
2016
ABSTRACT: Background: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is the
most common complication of pregnancy that causes chronic hypertension, increased
rate of cesarean delivery, fetal mortality and morbidity. Therefore, early diagnosis
of GDM is vital to reduce maternal and fetal morbidity. Moreover, it can circumvent
or procrastinate the onset of type 2 diabetes. Objectives: The main objective of
this study was to determine the prevalence of GDM in pregnant women attending Kimironko,
Kicukiro and Muhima Health Centres. The specific objectives were to determine the
blood glucose during the second trimester in pregnant women aged between 21 and
45 years, to find out the frequencies of pregnant women presenting with GDM according
to age and to assess some promising risk factors associated with GDM. Methods: A
cross-sectional study was carried out at Kimironko, Kicukiro and Muhima Health centers
using a sample size of 96 pregnant women. Blood glucose levels were measured using glucose oxidase method with
a glucometer. Data were analyzed by using Microsoft
Office Excel and SPSS version 20. Results: Out of 96 pregnant women
who participated in the study, 8.3% were found to have GDM with the mean ± 2SD of
194.12 ± 25.53 mg/dl of their blood glucose results (Mean ± 2SD: A 95% level of
confidence Intervals). The highest proportion of GDM was revealed in pregnant women
aged between 26 - 30 years, representing a frequency of 5.2% whereas 2.1% of GDM
was reflected in women aged between 21 - 25 years. The lowest proportion of GDM fell in age group of 31 - 35 years
contributing to 1% of the total GDM. There were
no cases of GDM in pregnant women in the 36 - 40 or 41 - 45 age groups. The mean
± 2SD of participant’s age groups was 27.12 ± 5.01 years. In
addition, while obesity did not show to be associated with GDM,
age and family history were found to be risk factors of GDM. Conclusion: The findings
of this study revealed that the prevalence of GDM was 8.3% and the most affected
pregnant women were in the age group of 26 - 30 years.