Maternal hyperglycemia in pregnancy and fetal surfactant: true statement?

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Multiple Choice

Maternal hyperglycemia in pregnancy and fetal surfactant: true statement?

When a fetus is exposed to high glucose levels in the mother, the fetus develops high insulin levels. That fetal hyperinsulinemia can blunt the maturation of the lungs by inhibiting surfactant production from type II pneumocytes, dampening the stimulatory effect of cortisol on surfactant synthesis. Surfactant reduces surface tension in the alveoli, so insufficient surfactant leads to respiratory distress syndrome after birth. This risk occurs with maternal diabetes in general and is not limited to cases treated with insulin or to type 1 diabetes—the fetal lung maturation can be delayed in various diabetic states and even with maternal hyperglycemia that’s not exclusively tied to insulin therapy. So the statement is true: maternal hyperglycemia in pregnancy can affect fetal surfactant and lung maturity.

When a fetus is exposed to high glucose levels in the mother, the fetus develops high insulin levels. That fetal hyperinsulinemia can blunt the maturation of the lungs by inhibiting surfactant production from type II pneumocytes, dampening the stimulatory effect of cortisol on surfactant synthesis. Surfactant reduces surface tension in the alveoli, so insufficient surfactant leads to respiratory distress syndrome after birth. This risk occurs with maternal diabetes in general and is not limited to cases treated with insulin or to type 1 diabetes—the fetal lung maturation can be delayed in various diabetic states and even with maternal hyperglycemia that’s not exclusively tied to insulin therapy. So the statement is true: maternal hyperglycemia in pregnancy can affect fetal surfactant and lung maturity.

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