Early development of a restrictive pattern of ventricular
filling in pregnant diabetics can lead to complications during delivery.
Whereas pregnancy in healthy women results in a reversible physiological left
ventricular hypertrophy, a disturbed relaxation pattern and a temporary decrease
of left ventricular systolic function, pregnant women who are diabetic have
delayed relaxation at the beginning of pregnancy and develop a restrictive
filling pattern, say specialists in Düsseldorf, Germany. They studied the course
of haemodynamic parameters under the increased volume load during pregnancy and
delivery in women with insulin-dependent diabetes.
The specialists examined 51 women with insulin-dependent diabetes and 51 healthy
pregnant women. Fifty one healthy women who were not pregnant were used as
controls.
Left ventricular mass and fractional shortening were calculated and mitral
inflow and pulmonary venous flow profiles were analysed to evaluate left
ventricular diastolic function.
It was found that during pregnancy, left ventricular mass increased, fractional
shortening decreased and diastolic dysfunction occurred. While the healthy
pregnant women developed signs of disturbed relaxation during pregnancy,
pregnant diabetic women showed signs of a disturbed relaxation at the beginning
of gestation.
Of the 51 pregnant diabetic women, 29 developed a restrictive ventricular
filling pattern at the 24th week of gestation. The remaining 22 diabetic women
had a comparable restrictive filling pattern only during vaginal delivery.
There were dangerous complications in 10 of the 29 pregnant diabetic women but
no complications in the other 22 diabetic pregnant women or the healthy pregnant
women.
Source: Diabetes In Control Dot Com: Diabetologia 2003;46:267-275.
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