Effect of Gestational Diabetes on Interventricular Septum Thickness in Newborns in the Golestan Province, Iran

Background and objectives: Despite advances in prenatal care, there is a high rate of morbidity and mortality in infants of diabetic mothers. Interventricular septal hypertrophy is a well-known congenital heart abnormality in neonates of mothers with gestational diabetes. In this study, we investigate the effect of gestational diabetes mellitus on interventricular septum thickness. Methods: In this cross-sectional cohort study, 42 neonates from mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus and 42 neonates from non-diabetic mothers were selected from gynecology ward of Sayyad Shirazi Hospital in Gorgan (Iran) between April 2016 and April 2017. Ventricular septum thickness in neonates was measured by M-mode echocardiography. Comparison of septum thickness and frequency of septal hypertrophy between the two groups was performed using t-test, Mann-Whitney test and chi-square test. All statistical analyses were preformed in SPSS 16 at significance level of 0.05. Results: The mean septum thickness was 4.51±1.58 mm in newborns of non-diabetic mothers and 5.84±1.44 mm in newborns of diabetic mothers (P<0.001). Septal hypertrophy (thickness of ≥6 mm) was significantly more common in newborns of diabetic mothers (P=0.029). In addition, we found no significant difference in septum thickness between newborns of diabetic mothers receiving diet or insulin therapy. Conclusion: Overall, our findings suggest that there is a significant correlation between gestational diabetes and ventricular septal hypertrophy. In addition, glycemic control with diet or insulin therapy has no significant impact on septum thickness.