Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Is Strongly Associated With Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Veeral H. Ajmera MD; Erica P Gunderson, PhD; Lisa B. VanWagner, MD; Cora E. Lewis, MD; John J. Carr, MD; and Norah A. Terrault, MD, MPH
History of gestational diabetes is risk marker for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in middle-aged women separate from metabolic risk factors in young adulthood. Researchers found that progression to diabetes mellitus after pregnancy likely mediates this relationship, however the prevalence of NAFLD remained higher among those with gestational diabetes who had not developed incident diabetes mellitus, suggesting a continuum of risk with increasing insulin resistance.
The study shows that a history of gestational diabetes may help to identify young women at risk and allow targeted strategies to prevent morbidity and mortality related to NAFLD.
Read coverage in Healio Gastroenterology
