Gestational diabetes and vascular health: a closer look at their association

The present study aimed to compare the vascular phenotype of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) at 35-37 weeks' gestation with that of women without GDM, using ophthalmic artery Doppler and carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity. The study found that women with GDM had evidence of early vascular disease, as evidenced by significantly higher ophthalmic artery PSV ratio, carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity, and central systolic blood pressure. The study also found that women treated with metformin or insulin had a higher ophthalmic artery PSV ratio compared with those treated with diet alone. The study concludes that this early vascular disease may contribute to the long-term cardiovascular risk in women with GDM.