The Effect of Seasonal Temperature Changes on Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Prevalence

Abstract

Aim:The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of seasonal changes in ambient temperature on the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).Materials and Methods:A retrospective evaluation was performed on the results of patients at 24-28 weeks gestation who underwent a GDM screening at the University of Health Sciences Turkey, Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital in Diyarbakır, which is a city that is warm and dry in summer and cold and rainy in winter, between January 2017 and December 2017. Pregnant women were divided into four groups according to the season they were screened for GDM. A comparison was made in terms of the prevalence of GDM among pregnant women screened for diagnosis of GDM in different seasons.Results:Of 3,618 pregnant women screened, 7.5% (n=272) were diagnosed with GDM. The seasonal distribution of the GDM cases was 6.4% (n=54) in winter, 8.3% (n=78) in spring, 9.2% (n=84) in summer, and 6.1% (n=56) in autumn. A significant difference was observed in terms of seasonal distribution (p<0.05).Conclusion:The results of this study have demonstrated that seasonal temperature changes have a significant effect on GDM prevalence. However, further studies are needed to better demonstrate this relationship.

Keywords

• gestational diabetes mellitus
• seasonal temperature
• prevalence