PH Threaded Discussion: Gestational Diabetes

Assignment

1  Choose a public health topic. It can be a specific disease or condition such as heart disease or cancer; an infectious disease such as AIDS, TB, etc.; diabetes or a health aspect such as maternal and child health, oral health, or mental health; a behavior such as smoking or inactivity; or a disease risk factor like obesity or hypertension.

2  Provide a brief description of the topic. Discuss the magnitude of the problem and its public health significance.

3  Outline important historical facts and policies, and discuss your topic’s evolution and current status (e.g., trends in incidence/prevalence, policy landmarks, etc.).

Introduction

Women are at a risk of developing diabetes type 2 if they have a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). As such, there is a need to reduce the risk of GDM in other pregnancies, as even the children of these women are at a higher risk of GDM (Berry et al., 2013).  Lifestyle interventions have been proposed as likely ways through which to reduce the risk of diabetes.

Gestational diabetes

            Gestational diabetes affects pregnant women, some with no previous history of the condition. Even though, proper nutrition and exercising have been used to manage the condition, a section of women may need to use insulin. In most cases, gestational diabetes is absent when women deliver, but some women go on to develop Type 2 diabetes. Hence, women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes need to maintain healthy lifestyles after delivery to prevent and delay development of type 2 diabetes. Along with this, there is a need to check blood sugar regularly.

            The topic is of interest as untreated GDM increases risk of maternal and fetal adverse health outcome, highlighting on the need for early detection and treatment (Getahun et al., 2009). There is a tendency for GDM recurrence, where 35-60 % of pregnant mothers are at a risk of developing T2D (Getahun et al., 2009).

Diagnosis, development, complications and factors causing gestational diabetes

            Research studies on diabetes mostly focus on type 1 and 2, with insulin receiving attention and the most sought after intervention to manage diabetes. Nonetheless, diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy, has received less attention, but is also fatal and often results in complicated pregnancies. Women typically have impaired response to insulin during pregnancies because of hormonal changes. However, not all women develop insulin resistance while pregnant. Hence, there are those who have a high level of blood sugar that results to diabetes, and this is particularly during the third trimester when women are at a higher risk of gestational diabetes. There exist knowledge gaps on how to manage gestation diabetes, highlighting on the need to look into ways through which to improve the health of pregnant mothers.

 Development

            The hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy may not necessarily be the only risk factor, as other factors also contribute towards development of GDM. The placenta and the umbilical cord play a prominent role during pregnancies. The child gets nutrients through placenta and the umbilical cord. The placenta is also responsible for the production of hormones during pregnancy, and some of these hormones are responsible for insulin resistance. Even though, insulin resistant actions are meant to recue the risk of low blood sugar, they may affect glucose intolerance because the blood sugar level is higher than normal.