Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and the risk of insulin-requiring gestational diabetes

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases; however, there has been little research into its impact on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). METHODS: This study included 308,095 women registered in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, who delivered between 2011 and 2015 and received a health examination within 52 weeks before pregnancy. Insulin-requiring GDM was defined as no insurance claims for diabetes mellitus and a fasting blood glucose level of < 126 mg/dL before pregnancy, and initiation of insulin treatment during pregnancy. A fatty liver index (FLI) was calculated using body mass index, waist circumference, and blood triglyceride and γ-glutamyl transferase levels. FLI scores < 30 ruled out hepatic steatosis, while FLI scores ≥ 60 indicated NAFLD. RESULTS: The prevalence of NAFLD was 0.8% (2355/308,095) and 1984 (0.6%) subjects developed insulin-requiring GDM. FLIs of 30–59 and ≥ 60 were significantly associated with increased risk of insulin-requiring GDM (odds ratio [OR] 3.50; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.99–4.10; OR 4.19; 95% CI 3.37–5.23), respectively. Further exploration of the association of FLI with GDM across FLI decile categories revealed a steady increase in OR across the categories. The association was more prominent among those without metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: NAFLD in women is an independent risk factor for insulin-requiring GDM. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13098-021-00710-y.