Pregnancy outcomes in women with type 1 diabetes in China during 2004 to 2014: A retrospective study (the CARNATION Study)

BACKGROUND: We aimed to report pregnancy outcomes of women with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in China, on which data were sparse. METHODS: This is a nationwide retrospective study conducted in 11 general medical centers in 8 cities across China. We investigated the clinical data of all women who attended these centers with a singleton pregnancy and whose pregnancy ended between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2014. Pregnancies of women with pregestational T1D were ascertained and compared with those of women without T1D. RESULTS: From over 300 000 pregnancies over the 11‐year study period, we identified 265 singleton pregnancies of women with T1D. One maternal death was documented among 265 (0.37%) women with T1D and 83 among 318 486 (0.03%) women without T1D. Women with T1D suffered from higher rates of pregnancy loss (13.21% vs 2.92%, crude risk ratio [cRR] 5.08 [95% CI, 3.56‐7.26]) and preeclampsia (17.74% vs 4.20%, cRR 4.94 [95% CI, 3.60‐6.77]) compared with those without T1D. Infants of these women with T1D had elevated rates of neonatal death (5.65% vs 0.16%, cRR 37.36 [95% CI, 21.21‐65.82]) and congenital malformation(s) (8.26% vs 3.53%, cRR 2.46 [95% CI, 1.54‐3.93]) compared with those of women without T1D. No significant improvement in pregnancy outcomes in women with T1D was observed over the period 2004 to 2014. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnancy outcomes were persistently poor in women with T1D during 2004 to 2014 in China. Pregnancy care needs to be improved to reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes among Chinese women with T1D.