Review of Epidemiology of Gestational Diabetes in Iran

Although gestational diabetes is a well-known cause of pregnancy complications, its epidemiology in Iran has not been studied systematically. The aim of this review of published data was to describe epidemiology of gestational diabetes in Iran. We searched MEDLINE, www.sid.ir, www.magiran.com, www.iranmedex.com, and www.irandoc.ac.ir sites through March 2009, and examined the reference lists of pertinent articles, limited to studies in humans. The 20 eligible studies (4 English and 16 Farsi) included 20’985 participants and 826 incident cases of gestational diabetes. The prevalence of gestational diabetes was 3.9 percent (95% confidence interval: 3.64-4.19 percent). These findings were more consistent in Tehran studies, and its prevalence was 1.3 to 11.9% in other parts of the country. We found that differences in screening programs and diagnostic criteria or various ethnic groups make it difficult to compare frequencies of gestational diabetes among various populations. Nevertheless, factors that place women at increase risk of gestational diabetes were age, body mass index, and number of pregnancies. The literature is limited by lack of a consistent standard for screening or diagnosis of gestational diabetes. We conclude that the epidemiological data suggest that gestational diabetes is common among Iranian women. Large studies are needed to clarify this issue and to develop appropriate diabetic prevention strategies that address the potentially modifiable risk factors.