(HealthDay)—The prevalence of gestational diabetes was 6.0 percent in 2016, with a slight increase seen from 2012 to 2016, according to research published in the Nov. 2 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Nicholas P. Deputy, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed 2012 to 2016 National Vital Statistics System birth data to examine recent state-specific trends in gestational diabetes.

The researchers found that the crude national prevalence of preexisting diabetes was 0.9 percent among women with and the prevalence of gestational diabetes was 6.0 percent in 2016. The age- and race/ethnicity-standardized prevalence of preexisting diabetes was stable at 0.8 percent among 40 jurisdictions with continuously available data from 2012 through 2016, while a slight increase was seen from 5.2 to 5.6 percent for gestational diabetes.

"Changes in preexisting and suggest strategies before, during, and after pregnancy are needed to prevent, control, or mitigate risks associated with these conditions," the authors write.

More information: Abstract/Full Text

Journal information: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report