Background: Experiences and outcomes amongst women with Gestational Diabetes (GDM) can be quite varied. There are few data reporting on the ethnic differences between women with GDM. Our institution services a high proportion of women from different ethnic backgrounds.
Aim: To explore the effect of ethnicity on various baseline characteristics of women with GDM.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data in a large database of women with GDM attending our institution from 1994-2012. All women who had GDM, with delivery/birth data and documented follow-up oral glucose tolerance were included. One-way ANOVA was used to compare differences amongst ethnic groups. Significance is p<0.05.
Results: Our audit identified 1809 women. The Table shows Mean±SD of a number of characteristics across varying ethnic groups. The largest groups in the cohort were Southeast Asian (41%), Middle Eastern (24%) and European (23%). The groups differed significantly from each other on all characteristics assessed.

Conclusion: The clinical characteristics of women with GDM vary significantly according to ethnic background. The diagnostic criterion on which the GDM diagnosis was made also varied. These differences may represent differences in the pathophysiology of GDM in women from different ethnic backgrounds, which may have an effect on the course and outcomes of their pregnancy.