Vascular alterations impede fragile tolerance to pregnancy in type 1 diabetes.

Objective: To determine the impact of autoimmunity in the absence of glycemic alterations on pregnancy in type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Design: Because nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice experience autoimmunity before the onset of hyperglycemia, we studied pregnancy outcomes in prediabetic NOD mice using flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Once we determined that adverse events in pregnancy occurred in euglycemic mice, we performed an exploratory study using electronic health records to better understand pregnancy complications in humans with T1D and normal hemoglobin A1c levels.

Setting: University Medical Center.

Patient(s)/animal(s): Nonobese diabetic mice and electronic health records from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Intervention(s): Nonobese diabetic mice were administered 200 μg of an anti-interleukin 6 (IL-6) antibody every other day starting on day 5 of gestation.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Changes in the number of abnormal and reabsorbed pups in NOD mice and odds of vascular complications in pregnancy in T1D in relation to A1c.

Result(s): Prediabetic NOD mice had increased adverse pregnancy outcomes compared with nonautoimmune mice; blockade of IL-6, which was secreted by endothelial cells, decreased the number of reabsorbed and abnormal fetuses. Similarly, vascular complications were increased in pregnant patients with T1D across all A1c values.

Conclusion(s): The vascular secretion of IL-6 drives adverse pregnancy outcomes in prediabetic NOD mice. Pregnant patients with T1D have increased vascular complications even with normal hemoglobin A1cs, indicating a potential effect of autoimmunity on the placental vasculature.