Maternal glucose levels after dexamethasone for fetal lung development in twin vs singleton pregnancies
Presented at the 28th Annual Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Dallas, TX, Jan. 28-Feb. 2, 2008.
Received 1 March 2008; received in revised form 3 June 2008; accepted 1 August 2008.
Objective
Betamethasone administration in singleton pregnancies causes maternal hyperglycemia. With the increased risk of glucose intolerance in twin pregnancies, we sought to determine whether maternal hyperglycemia after dexamethasone administration is different in twin vs singleton pregnancies.
Study Design
Patients with singleton or twin pregnancies admitted between 24 and 34 weeks' gestation with diagnoses requiring steroid administration were approached. Exclusion criteria included diabetes, abnormal glucose tolerance test, infection, or medications known to interfere with glucose metabolism. Patients were NPO for 24 hours and received dexamethasone per protocol. Maternal glucose levels were checked at baseline and then at specified intervals after the initial dose; appropriate statistical analysis was performed.
Results
Ten singleton and 9 twin gestations were enrolled. There were no differences in mean maternal or gestational ages. Mean glucose levels were significantly higher in the twin group at 4 hours (114 mg/dL vs 95.6 mg/dL), 8 hours (121.4 mg/dL vs 90.9 mg/dL), and 24 hours (116 mg/dL vs 81 mg/dL) (P < .01 for all).
Conclusion
Twin pregnancies had higher mean glucose values than singleton pregnancies in the first 24 hours after dexamethasone administration.
aDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, WA
bDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC
Cite this article as: Foglia LM, Deering SH, Lim E, et al. Maternal glucose levels after dexamethasone for fetal lung development in twin vs singleton pregnancies. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;199:380.e1-380.e4.
Reprints not available from the authors.
The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the United States Government.
ABSTRACT
Maternal glucose levels after dexamethasone for fetal lung development in twin vs singleton pregnancies