Background
Pregnant women with pre-pregnancy renal impairment are known to have worse obstetric outcomes with an increased risk of accelerated decline in renal function. This cohort study examines the pregnancy and outcomes of women with pre-gestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) with concurrent pre-gestational renal impairment.
Method
A retrospective audit of data from pregnant women with PGDM from 2 centres in South-Western Sydney from January 2005 to June 2020 was conducted. Data were obtained from a district wide electronic database and hospital medical records. The outcomes examined were preeclampsia, pre-term delivery (less than 37 weeks) as well as progression to dialysis during and after pregnancy. Women with renal impairment were defined as having a first trimester serum creatinine of greater than 80 µmol/L whilst well.
Results:
In this cohort of 494 women with pre-gestational diabetes, 11(2.5%) women were noted to have serum creatinine of > 80µmol/L in their first antenatal review (1st or 2nd trimester). There were no significant statistical differences in the age, body mass index (BMI), pre-pregnancy HbA1c, and prophylactic aspirin or calcium use between women with and without pre-gestational renal impairment. However, women with renal impairment had a higher rate of previous preeclampsia (32(7.5%) vs 3(27.3%), p=<0.05) compared to women with no renal impairment. There was a significantly higher rate of preeclampsia (36% vs 12%, p<0.05), and preterm delivery ( 60% vs 24.8%, p<0.05) in women with pre-pregnancy renal impairment. Of the 11 women, 1 woman required dialysis during pregnancy and subsequently died 1 month later.
Conclusion
Women with pregestational renal impairment were observed to have worse obstetric outcomes. A larger prospective study with significant follow-up would be beneficial in determining the incidence of progression of renal disease in these women in the post-partum period.