Insulin Therapy in Pregnancy Hypertensive Diseases and its Effect on the Offspring and Mother Later in Life

Abstract

Pregnancy hypertensive disorders such as Preeclampsia (PE) are strongly correlated with insulin resistance, a condition in which the metabolic handling of D-glucose is deficient. In addition, the impact of preeclampsia is enhanced by other insulin-resistant disorders, including polycystic ovary syndrome and obesity. For this reason, there is a clear association between maternal insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome, obesity and the development of PE. However, whether PE is a consequence or the cause of these disorders is still unclear. Insulin therapy is usually recommended to pregnant women with diabetes mellitus when dietary and lifestyle measures have failed. The advantage of insulin therapy for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) patients with hypertension is still controversial; surprisingly, there are no studies in which insulin therapy has been used in patients with hypertension in pregnancy without or with an established GDM. This review is focused on the use of insulin therapy in hypertensive disorders in the pregnancy and its effect on offspring and mother later in life. PubMed and relevant medical databases have been screened for literature covering research in the field especially in the last 5-10 years.