Characterization of Former Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Prognostic, Therapeutic, and Predictive Aspects

This special issue was focused on original research and review articles regarding the pathophysiology of glucose and lipid metabolism in women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus, as well as the identification of early markers for the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and related cardiovascular complications in that category of women. In addition, the study of the metabolic condition during pregnancy, that is, during overt gestational diabetes, was also of interest for the special issue. Some reports on educational programs for behavior modification and improved awareness of the disease were also included. In fact, it is known that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes is increased when the condition of previous gestational diabetes is accompanied by other factors, which predispose to diabetes also in different categories of subjects, like improper diet habits, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, or weight gain. The following paragraphs briefly present the articles included in this special issue. In the first section, we summarize the articles related to basic studies of pathophysiology, with special focus on the relationships between metabolic, endocrine, and cardiovascular parameters. The second section refers to articles more directly related to the disease care, including possible approaches for prevention and for improved clinical care and home support. In the last section some review articles are reported.