The Risk Factors of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Study

Objectives: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common medical complication of pregnancy. If remains uncontrolled, it can cause lots of complications for both mother and fetus. The aim of this study is to investigate the risk factors of GDM in Iran using a meta-analysis study. Methods: Different databases including all national scientific (Iranmedex, SID, Magiran, Irandoc, Medlib) and international (PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and ISI Web of Knowledge) databases were searched for published data on GDM risk factors in Iran. A total of 21 relevant articles from 2001 to 2015 were finally analyzed. Data synthesis was performed based on the random effects model. Data were analyzed using R software and STATA. Results: A total of 1658 pregnant women with average age of 29.15 years old were investigated. The mean body mass index (BMI) of the subjects was 27.53. The most common risk factors for GDM were: high age 64% (95% CI: 53?76), excess weight and obesity 47% (95% CI: 40?54), family history of diabetes 31% (95% CI: 26?36), history of abortion 22% (95% CI:16?27), history of glycosuria 12% (95% CI: 4?19), history of macrosomia 10% (95% CI: 6 ?13), delivery ?5 case 10% (95% CI: 2?17), history of gestational hypertension 5% (95% CI: 1?8), history of preeclampsia 4% (95% CI:2 ?7), history of diabetes in pregnancy 4% (95% CI:1?8), history of stillbirths 3% (95% CI: 2?5), delivery <37 weeks 3% (95% CI: 0?6), previous congenital malformations 1% (95% CI: 0?2) and previous neonatal death 1% (95% CI: 0-2). Conclusion: Considering that approximately 40% of pregnancy diabetes cases will turn into diabetes over the coming years, controlling the risk factors can reduce the incidence of diabetes in pregnancy.