Associations between capillary glucose during pregnancy and childhood growth to the age of five: a cohort study

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between random capillary glucose levels in healthy pregnant women and infant size at birth and childhood growth to the age of five years. This population-based cohort study comprised 10,937 healthy mother-child dyads. Data on highest maternal random capillary glucose level during pregnancy and sequential anthropometric data on their children during the first five years of life were gathered from the Uppsala County Mother and Child Cohort. Statistical analyses were performed with linear regression and linear mixed effect regression models. We found that higher glucose level during pregnancy was associated with higher weight z-score (beta 0.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.08-0.11), length z-score (beta 0.05, 95% CI 0.03-0.07) and BMI z-score (beta 0.09, 95% CI 0.07-0.12) at birth, adjusted for maternal BMI and country of birth, smoking during pregnancy and parity. The association did not remain at 11/2, 3, 4 and 5 years of age. There was a positive relationship between higher glucose level during pregnancy and a decrease in weight z-score, height z-score and BMI z-score from birth to 5 years of age. In conclusion, higher random capillary glucose levels in pregnant healthy women were associated with greater infant size at birth, as well as decreased growth velocity in early childhood.