November - 25 - 2008
Diabetes may be linked to an increased risk of pelvic girdle syndrome, according to a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Akershus University Hospital. The study focused on 1,816 women ages 18 to 40 years who had given birth in two communities in Akershus, Norway. Five percent of the women had serious pelvic girdle syndrome--pain in both iliosacral ligaments and symphysis pubis--during their last pregnancy. Of these women, 3 percent reported having diabetes, compared to 0.5 percent of the women who did not have severe pelvic girdle syndrome. Women with diabetes had a seven-fold higher risk of severe pelvic girdle syndrome. "Even after we controlled for other factors such as obesity, age, and number of previous pregnancies, these numbers changed little," said Malin Eberhard-Gran, a doctor and researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The causes of pelvic girdle syndrome are largely unknown, but mechanical, traumatic, or hormonal factors may play a role. The hormone relaxin softens the pelvic joint and has been linked to pelvic girdle syndrome problems. Relaxin belongs to the family of insulin-like growth factors and is often present in high levels among pregnant women with type I diabetes.
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Science Daily (11/14/08)