PURPOSE: to compare the effectiveness of glibenclamide and acarbose with that of insulin for the treatment of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), in regard to maternal glucose levels, newborn (NB) weight and neonatal hypoglycemia. METHODS: an open, randomized prospective study was carried out. Fifty-seven patients diagnosed with GDM were included. These patients required dietary control and additional therapy. Pregnant women were randomly alloted to one of three groups with different therapies: a control group making use of insulin therapy, a study group making use of glibenclamide and a study group making use of acarbose. The study took seven months (from October 1st 2003 to May 1st 2004). Assessed outcomes were maternal glucose levels in the prenatal period, the need for replacing therapy to achieve glucose level control, NB weight and neonatal hypoglycemia. Statistical analysis was determined by ANOVA with the level of significance set at 5%. RESULTS: maternal characteristics were similar in all the three groups. Glucose level control was not obtained in three of the patients who used glibenclamide (15%) and in seven (38.8%) of the patients who used acarbose. Regarding fasting and postprandial glucose level rates and average NB weight no difference between the three groups was observed. No statistical difference was found for fasting or postprandial glucose levels and average NB weight in any of the three groups. The rate of large for gestational age fetuses was 5.2, 31.5 and 11.1% for the groups treated with insulin, glibenclamide and acarbose, respectively. Neonatal hypoglycemia was observed in six NB. Four of these were from the glibenclamide group (21.0%). CONCLUSIONS: glibenclamide was more effective for glucose level control than acarbose but neither were more efficient than insulin. NB children whose mothers had been alloted to the glibenclamide group showed a higher rate of macrosomia and neonatal hypoglycemia when compared to those newborns whose mothers were subjected to other therapies.
Diabetes gestacional; Blood glucose; Fetal macrosomia
