Oral Hypoglycemic Agents in Pregnancy

Obesity and Gestational Diabetes in Pregnant Care and Clinical Practice

Obesity and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) are the most frequent pathologies affecting mothers and offspring during pregnancy. Both conditions have shown a sustained increase in their prevalence in recent years, and they worsen the outcome of pregnancy and the long-term health of mothers. Obesity increases the risk of GDM and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy and elevates the risk of developing metabolic syndrome in later life. Offspring of obese mothers have an increased risk of obstetric morbidity and mortality and, consistent with the developmental origins of health and disease, a long term risk of childhood obesity and metabolic dysfunction. On the other hand, GDM also increases the risk of pre-eclampsia, caesarean section, and up to 50% of women will develop type 2 diabetes later in life. From a fetal point of view, it increases the risk of macrosomia, large-for-gestational-age fetuses, shoulder dystocia and birth trauma. The insulin resistance and inflammatory mediators released by a hypoxic trophoblast are mainly responsible for the poor pregnancy outcome in obese or GDM patients. The adequate management of both pathologies includes modifications in the diet and physical activity. Drug therapy should be considered when medical nutrition therapy and moderate physical activity fail to achieve treatment goals. The antenatal prediction of macrosomia is a challenge for physicians. The timing and the route of delivery should consider adequate metabolic control, gestational age, and optimal conditions for a vaginal birth. The best management of these pathologies includes pre-conception planning to reduce the risks during pregnancy and improve the quality of life of these patients.

Metformin combined with insulin in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: a propensity score-matched study

AIM

Metformin use in gestational diabetes (GDM) is a common practice. Although its use in combination with insulin might be advantageous, it was never formally tested. We studied whether combined treatment was associated with better obstetric or neonatal outcomes compared to insulin alone.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study, using the Portuguese National Registry of GDM (2012-2017), of women treated with insulin ± metformin. Primary endpoints were obstetric and neonatal complications. Secondary endpoints were gestational weight gain (GWG) and insulin dose. A propensity score-matched analysis was performed to balance the distribution of age, BMI, insulin treatment duration, HbA1c, first trimester diagnosis of GDM and previous GDM or macrosomia. Women treated with metformin plus insulin and insulin only were then compared.

RESULTS

A total of 4034 women were treated with insulin or insulin plus metformin (10.2%). After propensity score matching, we studied two groups of 386 patients. Obstetric and neonatal complications were similar. Women treated with metformin plus insulin had 201 (52.1%) obstetric complications versus 184 (47.7%) in insulin-only group, p = 0.22; and 112 (29.0%) neonatal complications versus 96 (24.9%), p = 0.19. Patients treated with metformin plus insulin had similar GWG, excessive weight gain and insulin dose compared to the insulin-only group.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with GDM treated with insulin plus metformin had similar obstetric and neonatal complications, weight gained and insulin dose compared to those only treated with insulin.

Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Metformin, Glyburide, and Insulin in Treating Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis

To compare the efficacy and safety of metformin, glyburide, and insulin in treating gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library to November 13, 2018, were searched for RCT adjusted estimates of the efficacy and safety of metformin, glyburide, and insulin treatments in GDM patients. There were 41 studies involving 7703 GDM patients which were included in this meta-analysis; 12 primary outcomes and 24 secondary outcomes were detected and analyzed. Compared with metformin, insulin had a significant increase in the risk of preeclampsia (RR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.72; P < 0.001), NICU admission (RR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.64 to 0.87; P < 0.001), neonatal hypoglycemia (RR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.66; P < 0.001), and macrosomia (RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.86; P < 0.05). To the outcomes of birth weight and gestational age at delivery, insulin had a significant increase when compared with metformin (MD, 114.48; 95% CI, 37.32 to 191.64; P < 0.01; MD, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.12 to 0.34; P < 0.001; respectively). Of the two groups between glyburide and metformin, metformin had lower gestational weight gain compared with glyburide (MD, 1.67; 95% CI, 0.26 to 3.07; P < 0.05). Glyburide had a higher risk of neonatal hypoglycemia compared with insulin (RR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.32 to 2.36; P < 0.001). This meta-analysis found that metformin could be a safe and effective treatment for GDM. However, clinicians should pay attention on the long-term offspring outcomes of the relative data with GDM patients treated with metformin. Compared with insulin, glyburide had a higher increase of neonatal hypoglycemia. The use of glyburide in pregnancy for GDM women appears to be unclear.

Use of oral anti-diabetic agents in pregnancy: a pragmatic approach

Insulin is the gold standard for treatment of hyperglycemia during pregnancy, when lifestyle measures do not maintain glycemic control during pregnancy. However, recent studies have suggested that certain oral hypoglycemic agents (metformin and glyburide) may be safe and be acceptable alternatives. There are no serious safety concerns with metformin, despite it crossing the placenta. Neonatal outcomes are also comparable, with benefit of reductions in neonatal hypoglycemia, maternal hypoglycemia and weight gain, and improved treatment satisfaction. Glibenclamide is more effective in lowering blood glucose in women with gestational diabetes, and with a lower treatment failure rate than metformin. Although generally well-tolerated, some studies have reported higher rates of pre-eclampsia, neonatal jaundice, longer stay in the neonatal care unit, macrosomia, and neonatal hypoglycaemia. There is also paucity of long-term follow-up data on children exposed to oral agents in utero. This review aims to provide an evidence-based approach, concordant with basic and clinical pharmacological knowledge, which will help medical practitioners use oral anti-diabetic agents in a rational and pragmatic manner. Pubmed search was made using Medical Subject Headings (MESH) terms “Diabetes” and “Pregnancy” and “Glyburide”; “Diabetes” and “Pregnancy” and “Metformin”. Limits were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analysis. The expert reviews on the topic were also used for discussion. Additional information (studies/review) pertaining to discussion under sub-headings like safety during breastfeeding; placental transport; long-term safety data were searched (pubmed/cross-references/expert reviews).

Oral agents for the management of gestational diabetes

In gestational diabetes (GDM), achieving euglycemia through treatment decreases the risk of adverse outcomes associated with hyperglycemia. Treatment starts with diet and nutritional counseling; however, up to 50% of women will require pharmacologic therapy to meet glucose goals. Although insulin remains the only Federal Drug Administration-approved agent to treat GDM, oral hypoglycemic agents are an attractive and increasingly common alternative. Research suggests that glyburide and metformin can each effectively manage hyperglycemia in pregnancy. This review highlights research on efficacy, safety, and advantages versus disadvantages of each. We offer management and counseling strategies for clinicians caring for patients with GDM.

Use of oral hypoglycemic and insulin agents in pregnant patients

Although insulin remains the standard medication for the treatment of all types of patients with diabetes during pregnancy, oral hypoglycemics may be considered as alternative medications in the treatment of some types of diabetes in pregnancy.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Chronic Inflammation: Pharmacotherapeutic Implications

Objective:

To examine the relationship between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), cardiovascular risk factors, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and chronic inflammation and analyze data regarding pharmacologic therapies that are recommended to reduce CVD risk in PCOS and the impact of those therapies on chronic inflammation.

Data Sources:

A search of MEDLINE (1950-October 2011) was conducted to identify clinical studies pertaining to the identification and treatment of CVD and chronic low-grade inflammation in PCOS, Search terms included polycystic ovary syndrome, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, metformin, thiazolidinedione, and statin. Bibliographies of these studies and review articles were also examined.

Study Selection and Data Extraction:

English-language clinical studies evaluating the effect of metformin, thiazolidinediones, and statins on inflammatory markers, endothelial function, adhesion molecules, fibrinolysis, cytokines, and adipokines in PCOS were included.

Data Synthesis:

Women with PCOS have an increased prevalence of many cardiovascular risk factors including obesity, android fat distribution, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. Markers of chronic low-grade inflammation, which are associated with an increased risk of CVD, are also elevated in PCOS. Clinical guidelines recommend the use of insulin sensitizers and statins to prevent CVD in some patients with PCOS. Current literature indicates that each of these medication classes has beneficial effects on inflammation, as well. Although there are currently no studies to determine whether these treatments decrease CVD in PCOS, it can be hypothesized that drugs impacting chronic inflammation may reduce cardiovascular risk. Some studies show that metformin, thiazolidinediones, and statins have beneficial effects on inflammatory markers in PCOS; however, the data are inconsistent.

Conclusions:

There is insufficient information to recommend any pharmacologic therapies for their antiinflammatory effects in PCOS in the absence of other indications such as diabetes and dyslipidemia.