Postpartum women with diagnosed gestational diabetes are at a severely heightened risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.
Despite this increased risk, new research published in the Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP)’s Internal Medicine Journal has found that nearly half (48.2 per cent) of these women aren’t being adequately screened for the conditions in the years following childbirth.
“It is important to understand that early detection and proper management can help ensure that severe and long-term risks associated with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are mitigated,” said one of the study’s lead researchers, Simone Marschner, a Senior Research Fellow at the Westmead Applied Research Centre.
“A failure to identify the presence of these risk factors early and implement the proper management strategies can lead to women experiencing serious heart problems and other complications of diabetes, which could have been prevented.”
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, around 19 per cent of all pregnant women experience gestational diabetes, which significantly increases their risk of developing cardiovascular (heart) disease and diabetes after giving birth.
Researchers from the University of Sydney examined the medical records of over 10,413 women diagnosed with gestational diabetes over a four-year period post-childbirth.
They found that only 51.8 per cent were assessed for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Along with this, 29.4 per cent were not assessed for diabetes, and 37.4 per cent were not assessed for high cholesterol.
“These findings reveal that many women with a heightened risk of developing serious medical conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, are not receiving adequate screening and hence preventative management,” said Marschner.
“There must also be greater efforts taken at public health messaging by governments at all levels, to help ensure that the instances of potential underdiagnosis are reduced to the minimum possible level.”
Women already have a greater risk of heart attack than men due to established risk factors, such as diabetes, smoking and high blood pressure. Conditions such as gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, premature menopause, and polycystic ovary syndrome, can increase CVD risk as well.
Over 1 million women in Australia are living with cardiovascular disease (CVD), yet it remains underdiagnosed, under-treated, and under-researched in women.
“It is imperative that physicians across the country, especially ones tending to post-partum women, recognise the vital importance of adequate screening,” said Marschner.
“We must all do our part in ensuring that women across Australia receive the medical care and attention they deserve.”