Association of Clinical Factors with the Development of GDM in the Hoosier Mom’s Cohort

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) develops during pregnancy, raising the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate potential therapeutic targets for prepregnancy and early pregnancy interventions to decrease the impact of GDM on health during and after pregnancy. Methods: The Hoosier Mom’s Cohort was a prospective pregnancy cohort designed to assess for predictors of GDM. Inclusion criteria were gestational age <20 weeks, a singleton pregnancy, and being at least 18 years old. Individuals with a pregestational diabetes diagnosis, HbA1c at screening of ≥6.5, or abnormal 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test before 20 weeks of gestation were excluded. Study visits with survey completion and biospecimen collection occurred, one at enrollment, and one in the early third trimester. All participants were given a Garmin activity tracker to collect objective physical activity and sleep data. Sociodemographic, medical, behavioral, and psychosocial characteristics were obtained, and obstetric outcomes were abstracted after delivery by certified chart abstractors. The primary outcome was development of GDM. Associations between categorical variables and GDM were made with Chi-square testing, and those between continuous variables and GDM were done with t-test. Results: Of 411 participants recruited into the Hoosier Moms Cohort, complete data was available for 391 (95.1%). Participants had a mean age of 30 years, a BMI of 28, and 17% were of Hispanic ethnicity. Study participants self-identified mostly as White (71%) or Black (16%). 66% of participants were nulliparous. Additionally, 54% reported a family history of diabetes, with 4% of patients also reporting a prior history of GDM. A total of 39 participants (10.0%) developed GDM. Participants who developed GDM had significantly higher BMI at study entry (31.6 ±8.5 vs 27.2 ±6.5, p=0.003), lower probability of being nulliparous (15.38% vs 33.61%, p=0.02), higher baseline HbA1c values (5.24 ±0.3 vs 5.07 ±0.3, p<0.001), higher triglycerides levels (156.85 ±62 vs 134.16 ±54.5, p=0.022), and higher blood glucose values (85.90 ±14.4 vs 79.96 ±17.7, p=0.025) at first study visit. Additionally, 28% of participants who developed GDM had a prior history of GDM, compared to 2% of participants who did not (p<0.0001). Those who developed GDM had higher rates of chronic hypertension (12.82% vs 1.96%, p=0.0034) and higher insomnia scores (9.62 ±5.1 vs 7.80 ±4.7, p=0.028). Conclusion/ Implications: Multiple clinical factors were found to be statistically associated with the development of GDM. These characteristics will be utilized in a comprehensive predictive model using machine learning methodologies to guide clinical decisions early in pregnancy.