Pre-Eclampsia and Risk of Diabetes in Indian Women

Sutapa Agrawal, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)

We examined the association between symptoms suggestive of pre-eclampsia during pregnancy and diabetes risk in Indian women by analyzing cross-sectional data of 39,657 women (age 15-49 years) with a live birth in the past five years who participated in India’s third National Family Health Survey conducted in 2005-2006. Effect of pre-eclampsia on diabetes risk was assessed using multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for diet, body mass index, smoking, drinking, TV watching, age, education, occupation, religion, caste, wealth status, residence and geographic regions. The prevalence of symptoms suggestive of pre-eclampsia in women with diabetes was 1.8%(95%CI:1.5-2.0) compared with 1.1%(95%CI:1.0-1.4) in women with no pre-eclampsia symptoms. Pre-eclampsia was associated with 1.6 times (OR=1.57;95%CI:1.31–1.89;p<0.0001) higher risk for diabetes in the adjusted analysis, even after controlling for obesity. Symptoms of pre-eclampsia during pregnancy should alert clinicians to the need for preventative counseling and more vigilant screening for diabetes in a developing country setting.