Glucose levels vary in pregnancy by diabetes type

Glucose levels vary in pregnancy by diabetes type
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In the first study to usecontinuous monitoring throughout pregnancy to examine changesin glucose levels, researchers found that levels of glycemiccontrol differ significantly between women with type 1 diabetesand those with type 2.
In one respect, however, the two groups did not differ. Inthe critical stage of early pregnancy, the diabetic women hadnormal glucose levels for an average of only half of a 12-hourday, a "particularly alarming" finding, researchers report inthe November issue of Diabetes Care.
Dr. Helen R. Murphy at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust in the UKand colleagues analyzed data from continuous glucose monitoringfor 7 days during each trimester of pregnancy in 40 women withtype 1 diabetes and 17 women with type 2 diabetes.
The researchers found that as the pregnancies advanced,more time was spent with blood glucose in a normal range (70mg/dL to140 mg/dL), and women with type 2 diabetes spent aboutone third more time within a normal glucose range that thewomen with type 1 diabetes.
Elevated glucose levels (greater than 140 mg/dL), or"hyperglycemia," decreased as the pregnancies advanced, withtype 2 diabetics spending only two thirds as much time withelevated glucose as the women with type 1. Type 2 diabetes wasalso associated with shorter durations of extreme hyperglycemia(greater than 200 mg/dL).
Although the proportion of time spent with low blood sugar(hypoglycemia), defined as less than 70 mg/dL, did not changesignificantly over the course of pregnancy, women with type 1diabetes spent more time hypoglycemic than did those with type2 diabetes.
These findings illustrate just how difficult it is tomaintain treatment targets for glucose levels, particularlyamong the women with type 1 diabetes, Murphy and colleaguesconclude.
This information is important for physicians and otherhealthcare professionals who are trying to maximize glycemiccontrol and for researchers trying to improve upon treatmentsin diabetic women who are pregnant.
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, November 2007.