Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Its Associated Risk Factors in Pregnant Women at Selected Health Facilities in Kigali City, Rwanda

Background: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is the most common complication of pregnancy that causes chronic hypertension, increased rate of cesarean delivery, fetal mortality and morbidity. Therefore, early diagnosis of GDM is vital to reduce maternal and fetal morbidity. Moreover, it can circumvent or procrastinate the onset of type 2 diabetes. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of GDM in pregnant women attending Kimironko, Kicukiro and Muhima Health Centres. The specific objectives were to determine the blood glucose during the second trimester in pregnant women aged between 21 and 45 years, to find out the frequencies of pregnant women presenting with GDM according to age and to assess some promising risk factors associated with GDM. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at Kimironko, Kicukiro and Muhima Health centers using a sample size of 96 pregnant women. Blood glucose levels were measured using glucose oxidase method with a glucometer. Data were analyzed by using Microsoft Office Excel and SPSS version 20. Results: Out of 96 pregnant women who participated in the study, 8.3% were found to have GDM with the mean ± 2SD of 194.12 ± 25.53 mg/dl of their blood glucose results (Mean ± 2SD: A 95% level of confidence Intervals). The highest proportion of GDM was revealed in pregnant women aged between 26 - 30 years, representing a frequency of 5.2% whereas 2.1% of GDM was reflected in women aged between 21 - 25 years. The lowest proportion of GDM fell in age group of 31 - 35 years contributing to 1% of the total GDM. There were no cases of GDM in pregnant women in the 36 - 40 or 41 - 45 age groups. The mean ± 2SD of participant’s age groups was 27.12 ± 5.01 years. In addition, while obesity did not show to be associated with GDM, age and family history were found to be risk factors of GDM. Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that the prevalence of GDM was 8.3% and the most affected pregnant women were in the age group of 26 - 30 years.