Table 1 Study characteristics of included studies

Baris Akinci [11]

35.1

190

Turkey

3.39

26.82 ± 4.25

26.5 ± 2.66

90.31 ± 11.68

87.45 ± 8.93

known cardiovascular disorders, type 1 or type 2 diabetes (diagnosed before the index pregnancy), familial hyperlipidemia, hypertension, acute infection, chronic inflammatory disease, coagulation disorders and other systemic diseases, on peri- or postmenopausal period at the time of sampling

A.E. Atay [14]

27.9

75

Turkey

2.29

32.2 ± 4.8

27.3 ± 4.2

receiving any medication during the last 3 months, with liver or renal dysfunction, hyperprolactinemia, or thyroid disease and smokers, with GDM and healthy pregnant women with a history of GDM in their previous pregnancies or glucose tolerance before the present pregnancy, healthy pregnant women with a family history of DM

S. Bo [15]

41.1

195

Italy

6.5

Group 1: 20.2 ± 2.2 Group 2: 23.6 ± 5.2

22.1 ± 3.1

Group 1: 73.6 ± 5.7 Group 2: 86.4 ± 13.5

79.9 ± 9.9

known pre-pregnancy conditions, such as diabetes mellitus, diseases affecting glucose metabolism, hypertension, chronic illness, and medical treatments (including hormonal preparations), presence of a positive OGCT, but an OGTT not diagnostic for GDM.

Mustafa Caliskan [16]

33.4

95

Turkey

6

26.9 ± 3.9

26.1 ± 2.7

85.0 ± 5.9

84.4 ± 4.9

presence of a valvular or congenital heart disease; cardiac rhythm other than sinus; previous myocardial infarction; hypo- or hyperthyroidism; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or corulmonale; systemic diseases (etc. hemolologic ,hepatic, and renal diseases) or any disease that could impair coronaryflow reserve; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; family history of coronary artery disease; excessive alcohol consumption (>120 g/day); previous lipid metabolism disorders; history of dyslipidemia; smoking; and diabetes mellitus.those with ST segment or T-wave changes specific for myocardial ischemia, Q-waves, and incidental left bundle branch block on ECG

Mehmet Ali Eren [13]

31

64

Turkey

0

31.8 ± 5.5

29.4 ± 5.4

smoking, alcohol abuse, preeclampsia, multiple pregnancies, pregestational diabetes for all study participants, and a family history of diabetes mellitus (for the control group only), pregnancies with GDM who had overt diabetes with 75-g standard OGTT in the 6-week after delivery

Hossein Fakhrzadeh [17]

33

40

Iran

4

27.63 ± 3.52

27.33 ± 5.64

current or previous smokers, patients who had pre-existing HTN, diabetes mellitus (DM), and women with symptomatic CVD

Claudia Maria Vilas Freire [18]

35.7

139

Brazil

2.7

29.01 ± 0.66

22.46 ± 0.42

92.09 ± 1.63

74.08 ± 1.14

any past condition afflicting them at previous pregnancies, other than GDM, was considered an exclusion criteria, especially those requiring hospital admission such as preeclampsia. alcoholism, drug addiction, uremia as well as those with liver, psychiatric, rheumatologic, and thyroid diseases or in use of corticosteroids

Erica P. Gunderson [19]

44.2

898

USA

20

24.8 (5.6)

23.3 (4.3)

74.4 (11.1)

71.7 (8.8)

heart disease or diabetes before pregnancies andthose without any post-baseline births,missing ccIMT measurements, and with history of heart disease,recently or currently pregnant, and with previous hysterectomy at baseline, with clinically relevant diabetes at baseline and those who developed diabetes before the first post-baseline birth

H Ijas [20]

52.2

116

Finland

19

27.1 ± 5.3

24.5 ± 4.2

94.4 ± 14.9

94.4 ± 14.2

GDM diagnosed in their subsequent pregnancy

Ufuk Ozuguz [22]

30.1

101

Turkey

0

29.95 ± 4.21

26.34 ± 4.08

previously knowndiagnosis of diabetes mellitus; the presence of an additional cardiovascular risk factor such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia or coronary artery disease; presence of other factors that may affect serum lipid profile and/or hsCRP level (acetylsalicylic acid, smoking, impaired liver and kidney functions, history of trauma, an acute infection within one month prior to presentation or a chronic infection); presence of an underlying chronic inflammatory condition such as collagen tissue and inflammatory bowel diseases.

E. TARIM [23]

29.4

70

Turkey

0

28.65 ± 4.75

27.17 ± 2.90

smokers, patients who had folic acid and vitamin B12 deficiency, hypertension, multiple pregnancy, fetal abnormalities, pre-existing hypertension and diabetes, thyroid disease or a history of significant severe diseases, family history of coronary heart disease and stroke

I Vastagh [24]

32.2

42

Hungary

0

28 ± 4

27 ± 4

have a history of diabetes mellitus or a previous GDM.

Gholamreza Yousefzadeh [26]

24.8

50

Iran

0

28.7 ± 4.5

26.5 ± 4.5

family history of cardiovascular disorders; history of hypertension; anti-hypertensive and cholesterol medication use; hyperlipidemia; overt diabetes or fasting plasma glucose (FPG) > 125 mg/dl;chronic renal or hepatic diseases; malignancies; recent hormonal medications; cigarette smoking; severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] >35 kg/m2); and history of infertility or polycystic ovarian disease, with the status of plaques/shadowing ( > 1.0 mm) at any carotid site

Volpe, L. [25]

36.3

52

Italy

2

25.7 ± 8.9

23 ± 3.4

86.9 ± 9.7

79.6 ± 9.7

not mentioned

Yun Hyi Ku [21]

32.3

120

Korea

1

22.3 (20.4-24.2)

20.4 (19.5-23.1)

80.3 ± 7.7

74.5 ± 7.7

females who were diagnosed with gestational diabetes between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy