Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Background: Gestational diabetes is the most common pregnancy complication and it is associated with acute and long-term cardiovascular dysfunction putting these women at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. Evidence suggests that complicated pregnancies are associated with an elevated fight or flight response. This result in negative changes in the function of blood vessels. The mechanisms that control these changes, however, are not fully understood. The chemoreflex, an organ that senses oxygen and sugars in the blood, is a potent regulator of the fight or flight response. High sugar levels are associated with an increase of the activity of the chemoreflex and the fight or flight response in non-pregnant population, thus, we hypothesize that chemoreflex hyperactivity may be an important mechanism associated with the development of gestational diabetes. Methodology: We recruited 18 women with gestational diabetes and compared them with 18 healthy pregnant women. Blood pressure and direct measures of the fight or flight response were determined 1) at rest; 2) while the participant is breathing elevated oxygen; 3) during a stress test (while the participant put her hand in an ice bath). Results: Women with gestational diabetes do not display a basal increased flight or fight activity, however, our data suggests that during stress their flight or fight response is indeed increased. Moreover, we found that women with gestational diabetes are more responsive to high levels of oxygen than healthy pregnant women; suggesting that chemoreflex hyperactivity can be one of the mechanisms associated with the pathophysiology of this disease. Conclusion: Chemoreflex hyperactivity can be one of the mechanisms associated with the pathophysiology of gestational diabetes.