Diabetes and perinatal loss. A continuing problem.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the fetal outcome in diabetic pregnant patients managed exclusively by the obstetrician at King Faisal Military Hospital in the south-west region of Saudi Arabia, and to compare this with the non-diabetic control group in the same hospital.

METHODS: Case-control study of 83 diabetic and non-diabetic pregnant patients who delivered at King Faisal Military Hospital over a 2 year period.

RESULTS: The perinatal mortality rate in diabetic patients was 6.02% while that in the non-diabetic control group was 1.2%. However, the difference was not statistically significant, p>0.05. There was no significant difference in the mean birth weight between the cases and control; p>0.05 but the cesarean section rate was 5 times higher in the cases than in the controls. This was statistically significant; OR=5.22 (1.90-16.48).

CONCLUSION: Diabetes in pregnancy is still a major cause of perinatal loss in our community. The increase in cesarean section in diabetic pregnant patients also indicates a drain in the financial resources. It is recommended that emphasis should be placed on health education in order to reduce the cost of child birth as this condition may be prevented.