Premium
Use of antidiabetic agents in the treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus in G ermany, 2008–2012
Author(s) -
Heilmaier Christina,
Thielscher Christian,
Ziller May,
Altmann Verena,
Kostev Karel
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 1341-8076
DOI - 10.1111/jog.12384
Subject(s) - medicine , gestational diabetes , diabetes mellitus , obstetrics , endocrinology , pregnancy , gestation , genetics , biology
Aim Adequate blood glucose control during pregnancy is important because gestational diabetes mellitus ( GDM ) is known to have adverse effects on the mother and child. Due to an increasing prevalence of GDM in recent years, more information on the use of different antidiabetic agents is required, which was the aim of the present study. Material and Methods Data from 32 diabetic practices in G ermany were collected from J anuary 2008 to D ecember 2012 and analyzed using the D isease A nalyzer D atabase. All women with International Classification of Diseases diagnosis O 24 (that is, GDM ) participated, except for patients with known type I or II diabetes mellitus, who were excluded. Analysis focused on the proportion of women requiring drug treatment in general. Thereafter, subanalysis was performed with a focus on the administration of different antidiabetic agents, namely insulin, metformin, and sulfonylurea. Results Within the given timeframe, medication‐based treatment for GDM significantly rose to reach 30.8% of all women with GDM . Both the administration of insulin and metformin grew considerably within the 5‐year period with metformin being increasingly used without supplemental insulin and at lower dosages. Within the insulin treatment arm, insulin analogues became increasingly important. The proportion of sulfonylurea remained stable (0.2%). Conclusions GDM is more often treated with antidiabetic agents and, due to the fact that metformin is more frequently prescribed, it can be assumed that it is increasingly regarded as a safe and effective alternative to insulin.