Abstract
Pregnancy and the postpartum period are associated with changes of the immune system. These changes might eventually result in autoimmune diseases, such as Graves' disease and type 1 diabetes mellitus, in the postpartum period. We describe a case of a patient with gestational diabetes who developed both Graves' disease and type 1 diabetes mellitus in the postpartum period. The pathology of gestational diabetes (GDM) is close to that of type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the present case emphasizes the importance of screening and monitoring high-risk GDM patients for all available autoimmune antibodies throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period, as GDM has a risk of developing into type 1 diabetes and multiple autoimmune diseases. In addition, only Graves' disease was transient, whereas type 1 diabetes mellitus remained permanent in the present case. Thus, the present case shows etiological differences between these two autoimmune diseases. (J Diabetes Invest, doi: 10.1111/j.2040-1124.2010.00089.x,2011).