Infants of Diabetic Mothers (IDM) : A clinical overview

Hello

With the prevalence of insulin - dependent diabetes mellitus and maternal hyperglycemia, serious consequences to the ingrowing foetus may occur during its organogenesis. Lets have a quick review of the clinical problems in the infants of diabetic mothers ( IDM ) with some lame mnemonics :p -

GENERAL BUILT :
- Macrosomia ( birth weight >4,000 gm ) resulting in difficult labor and complications such as traumatic asphyxia, shoulder dystocia, BP injury, etc.
- Large for gestational age

CONGENITAL ANOMALIES :-

1. CARDIOVASCULAR - mnemonic : CASTeD
- Cyanotic heart disease
- Asymmetric septal hypertrophy ( resulating in small LV )
- Septal defects ( VSD, ASD )
- Transposition of blood vessels
- Decreased cardiac output ( due to perinatal asphyxia and metabolic acidosis )

2. SKELETAL AND CNS -
- Caudal regression syndrome
- Mental retardation

3. NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS - mnemonic : HAM

- Holoprosencephaly

- Anencephaly

- Meningomyelocoele

4. RENAL and GENITOURINARY - mnemonic : HURT

- Hydronephrosis

- Urethral dysplasia

- Renal agenesis

- Thrombosis of renal vein

( patient presents with flank mass, intermittent hematuria, and thrombocytopenia )

5. GASTROINTESTINAL - mnemonic : GAS

- Gastrointestinal obstruction ( due to duodenal atresia )

- Anorectal malformations

- Small left colon syndrome

6. RESPIRATORY -
- Hyaline membrane disease ( Infantile RDS )
- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension

7. METABOLIC changes -

- Hyperbilirubinemia ( due to polycythemia )

- Hypoglycemia occurs 30 - 90 mins post delivery which may take several days to resolve. Rebound hypoglycemia may occur in response to rapid, large boluses of glucose ( 10-15 mg/kg/min ).

- Hypocalcemia ( levels <7 mg/dL ) occurs within hours to days after birth due to a delay in PTH synthesis after birth, often accompanied with Hypomagnesemia.


Thats all
Hope this helps :)

- Jaskunwar Singh