Risk factors of cerebral ischemia in infants born to mothers with gestational diabetes

Objectives: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is carbohydrate intolerance that occurs during pregnancy. The present study was arranged to determine the risk of cerebral ischemia (CI) in infants born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus and MTHFR gene polymorphism. Material and methods: The study includes 70 pregnant women with GDM, divided into two groups depending on existence of cerebral ischemia (CI) in newborn infants. All patients were tested for coagulation cascade components, polymorphisms of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene and assessed by thromboelastography (TEG). Results: We observed that there was an increased frequency (74.2%) of 1298C MTHFR genotype carriers among women with CI newborns. The state of hypercoagulation according to both coagulation cascade tests and TEG data was diagnosed in women of this group. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that hyperglycemia may program the development of cerebral ischemia in infants born to women with 1298C MTHFR gene polymorphism.