With gestational diabetes increasingly common here in the UAE, knowing whether you might be at risk is key to protecting your health and your baby's. Ask any pregnant woman about her health concerns during those nine months and somewhere on the list, weight gain is likely to feature. After all, gaining weight is an inevitable part of the process for every mum-to-be. However; excessive weight gain during pregnancy, or obesity before conception, are two of the key risk factors for gestational diabetes, a condition which can have severe consequences for women and their babies.
Globally, gestational diabetes is believed to affect around six to eight per cent of women during pregnancy. But the incidence is a great deal higher here in the UAE, according to Dr. Fady Georges Hachem, Obstetrics and Gynecology Consultant at Burjeel Hospital, Abu Dhabi. "In the UAE, we have a high level of diabetic patients, around 19 per cent of the population, and around 17 per cent more have pre-diabetic conditions. In our clinical practice we estimate around 10 per cent of women we see have diabetes during pregnancy."
While women who already suffer from diabetic conditions need to seek medical support before conception and throughout pregnancy, there are a number of other risk factors affecting women who would not normally suffer from blood sugar problems.
Dr Hachem says: "People who are obese are more at risk. Also people who have family history of diabetes or who have already had big babies. A patient who has had diabetes in a previous pregnancy or who has had a baby with birth defects is also more at risk."
Excessive weight gain in early pregnancy can be a key indicator too, and looking after your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels before and during pregnancy is key to preventing gestational diabetes.
"If a patient is obese, reducing her weight before she conceives is very important," says Dr. Hachem. "But regardless of risk, every pregnant woman must be screened between 24 and 28 weeks. Gestational diabetes can have severe consequences for the mother and child, but if a patient is treated throughout the pregnancy, those risks are very much reduced."
About Burjeel Hospital:
Burjeel Hospital is Abu Dhabi's premier private healthcare facility providing world-class, specialized and superior healthcare complemented by a warm and personalized human touch to the growing population of the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
A unit of the VPS Healthcare, Burjeel Hospital opened for patients in April 2012 as a Tertiary hospital under the auspices of the Health Authority for Abu Dhabi. At the core of the organization is a team of exceptionally skilled and highly experienced health professionals, collaborating as multidisciplinary teams with Guests and their families as the main focus, to provide the best healthcare experience.
Burjeel Hospital received the prestigious Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation in June 2013 - 15 months after starting operations. Currently, the hospital is affiliated with some of the world's best healthcare institutions for its centers of excellence and is now becoming a renowned center of referral for Cardiovascular, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine and many more specialties handling complex laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgeries.
The hospital has full-fledged pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology units to serve Guests at any time of the day. Burjeel also houses a restaurant and a coffee shop, serving the finest and healthiest cuisines from across the world. Combining all-round specialization and expertise with most advanced technology, Burjeel offers the best in diagnostic, curative, as well as preventive aspects of healthcare.
For more information, please contact:
Alisa D'souza
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Dalia Achour
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Email: dalia@blueappleco.com
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© Press Release 2015
