The impact of maternal gestational diabetes mellitus on cardiac structural and functional parameters in infants
Mothers with gestational diabetes may benefit from cardiac screening of newborns, as subtle heart changes appear more common in their infants.
This large retrospective cohort of 11,782 mother-infant pairs finds that non-pharmacologically managed gestational diabetes is associated with subtle but statistically significant cardiac structural changes in offspring (enlarged right atrial and ventricular dimensions), particularly in male infants in the first 6 months. While not clinically overt, these findings suggest potential long-term cardiovascular risk in GDM offspring and highlight a need for longitudinal follow-up.
What the study was
- Study design
- Retrospective cohort study
- Population
- Infants aged 1-12 months born at Guangdong Women and Children Hospital (2018-2023); N=11,782 (1,734 GDM-exposed, 10,048 controls)
- Sample size
- 11782
- Category
- Prevention
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- Frontiers in Endocrinology
Why it surfaced
Large pediatric cohort (n=11,782) with sex-stratified echocardiographic analysis; identifies a high-risk infant population for future cardiovascular disease surveillance. Retrospective design and absence of longitudinal follow-up limit evidence maturity.
A plain-language summary of published research — not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own care.