Gestational diabetes mellitus in a cohort of HIV‐1 infected women

OBJECTIVES: We undertook a prospective study to estimate the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and associated risk factors in a cohort of 669 HIV-1 infected women. METHODS: The O'Sullivan and glucose tolerance tests were performed during regular visits of 609 mothers. RESULTS: The median age of the cohort was 30.7 years (range 16-44), with most women having had heterosexual contact (67%). The majority were in Centers for Disease Control (CDC) category A (71%) and 53% exhibited hepatitis C co-infection. Median viral load and CD4 count at third trimester were 545 cells/microL (range 139-1690 cells/microL) and 1.9 log (range 1.7-5.4), respectively. Seventy-four per cent of the patients were treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), of whom 41% received a protease inhibitor (PI). An above-average prevalence of 7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2-9.5] for positive GDM diagnosis was found. Risk factors associated with GDM in univariate analysis included older age, hepatitis C co-infection, stavudine and PI exposure. However, only older age [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.09, 95% CI 1-1.1] and PI exposure (AOR 2.4, 95% CI 1-5.3) remained as independent risk factors for GDM development in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort, the prevalence of GDM appears to be increased, with older age and PI exposure contributing as significant independent risk factors.