A meta-analysis of the association between pre-eclampsia and childhood-onset Type 1 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: To review and synthesize the evidence for an increased risk of childhood Type 1 diabetes mellitus in children born to mothers diagnosed with pre-eclampsia during pregnancy.

METHODS: A comprehensive search of the published literature was performed in MEDLINE, Web of Science and EMBASE limited to studies published before August 2010. Crude odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated from the data reported in each study. Meta-analysis techniques were then used to derive a combined odds ratio and investigate heterogeneity. Sensitivity analyses were conducted by study design, ascertainment of pre-eclampsia and study quality.

RESULTS: Data were available from 16 studies including 8315 children with Type 1 diabetes. Overall, there was little evidence of an increase in the risk of Type 1 diabetes in children born to mothers who had pre-eclampsia during pregnancy (OR = 1.10, 95% CI 0.96-1.27; P = 0.17). This association did not vary much between studies (I(2) = 28%, P for heterogeneity =0.14). The association was similar in three cohort studies (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 0.77-1.44; P = 0.75) and in seven studies with a low risk of bias (OR = 1.13, 95% CI 0.91-1.40; P = 0.27), but was more marked in 13 studies which ascertained pre-eclampsia from obstetrical records or birth registry data (OR = 1.18, 95% CI 1.03-1.36; P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS: This analysis demonstrates little evidence of any substantial increase in childhood Type 1 diabetes risk after pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia.