ASPECTS OF CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN NEWBORN INFANTS OF DIABETIC MOTHERS. I

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Abstract
Glucose tolerance, in terms of the K value (disappearance rate of glucose) during intravenous glucose tolerance tests, was determined in 50 infants of diabetic and 60 infants of non-diabetic mothers 1–6 hours after birth. Newborn infants of insulin-treated diabetic women had a mean K value of 2.18, infants of non-insulin-treated diabetics 1.20, and infants of non-diabetic mothers 0.99. The mean K value in infants of insulin-treated diabetic mothers was significantly higher than in the other two groups. In infants of non-insulin-treated diabetic mothers the mean K value tends to be higher than in the normal group, but the difference was not significant. In infants of insulin-treated diabetic mothers there was a negative correlation between the K value and fasting plasma level of glucose 3 hours after birth. Linear regression analysis of the birth weight against the K value showed a positive correlation between these quantities in the infants of normal and of non-insulin-treated diabetic mothers. In the infants of insulin-treated diabetic mothers the significant positive correlation between K value and birth weight was less marked. The positive correlation between K value and birth weight might indicate that a growth impulse acts through the foetal glucose-insulin system. This growth impulse, present in all infants, might be caused by the maternal blood sugar level during pregnancy.

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