Significant seasonal variations in the rate of women diagnosed with
gestational diabetes: A observational single centre study of 28,128
women
Abstract
Objective To test the hypothesis that there is seasonal variation in the
rates of gestational diabetes (GDM) diagnosed using a 2 hour oral
glucose tolerance test. Design Monthly assessment of the percentage of
women screened from 1st April 2016 to the 31st December 2020 who were
diagnosed as having gestational diabetes Setting London Teaching
Hospital Population 28,128 women receiving antenatal care between April
1st 2016 and 31 December 2020. Methods Retrospective study of
prospectively collected data. Main Outcome Measures Proportion of women
screened diagnosed as having gestational diabetes. Results The mean (SD)
percentage of women diagnosed with GDM was 14.78 (2.24) in summer (June,
July, August) compared with 11.23 (1.62) in winter (p <
0.001), 12.13 (1.94) in spring (p = 0.002), and 11.88 (2.67) in autumn
(p = 0.003). There was a highly significant positive correlation of the
percentage testing positive for GDM with the mean maximum monthly
temperature (R2 = 0.248, p < 0.001). There was a statistically
significant 33.8% increase in the proportion of GDM diagnoses from June
2020 onwards, possibly related to a reduction in exercise secondary to
the Covid-19 pandemic. Conclusions There is a 23.3% higher rate of GDM
diagnoses in the warmer summer months. There has been a 33.8% rise in
GDM diagnoses associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.