Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common complication of pregnancy and an important public health concern. Several studies have investigated the
prevalence of
gestational diabetes in different parts of
Iran with different results.
Objectives: The present study aimed to review studies on
gestational diabetes prevalence and estimate the
prevalence of
gestational diabetes in Iran.
Methods: A search on
gestational diabetes mellitus and related synonyms was conducted using global and national databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, SID, IranMedex, Magiran, Irandoc, Medlib. Moreover, gray literature and reference checks and a library search were conducted. Keywords included: prevalence, Iran,
gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and their synonyms. The inclusion criteria were observational studies (cross-sectional, prospective cohorts, and retrospective cohorts) published in Persian or English between ۲۰۰۰ and ۲۰۲۰ on the
prevalence or incidence of
gestational diabetes in Iran, a sample size of more than ۱۰۰ people, and availably of full texts. The selected articles were thoroughly reviewed, and after quality assessment, the required information was extracted and included in the meta-analysis.
Results: From ۹۰۷ articles, ۴۸ were included in the
meta-analysis according to the inclusion criteria, which included ۵۱,۲۵۹ patients with an average age (standard deviation) of ۲۷.۰۵ years (۱.۸۳). The overall
prevalence of GDM in
Iran was ۱۰% (۱۱,۹: ۹۵% confidence interval). The
prevalence of GDM had increased in recent years, from ۴% before ۲۰۰۵ to ۱۶% in ۲۰۱۶ to ۲۰۲۰ (۲۰,۱۲: ۹۵% CI). There was significant heterogeneity between studies, and the I-square index was ۹۸%.
Conclusion: The
prevalence of
gestational diabetes in
Iran is slowly increasing. The increasing
prevalence of
gestational diabetes can seriously threaten the health of mothers, fetuses, and newborns in the near future.