Prevalence and Risk Factors for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Pregnant Women of Isfahan, Iran

There are limited studies concerning the prevalence of gestational diabetes (GDM) in Iran. This study was performed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for GDM in Isfahan, and to compare the results of selective and universal GDM screening methods. In a cross – sectional study conducted between June 2003 and March 2005, GDM universal screening (based on the Carpenter and Coustan criteria) was done for pregnant women between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation, referred to the Isfahan Endocrine and Metabolism Research Center 1112 pregnant women with no history of diabetes underwent 50 gr glucose challenge test (GCT). Cases with blood sugar ≥ 130 mg/dL were considered positive and underwent a 3-hour, 100 gr glucose tolerance test (OGTT) this was also done randomly in some of negative GCT cases. OGTT was performed in 245 GCT – positive cases and 130 women with negative G.C.T, GDM was diagnosed in 67 and 6 women respectively, showing a total prevalence of 6.76% for GDM. Of all pregnant women, 23.2% were classified as a low-risk group, including only 2 diagnosed cases of GDM (2.7% of all GDM cases). Among risk factors, only age, pre–pregnancy BMI and gravidity were significantly correlated with GDM. There is a moderate prevalence of GDM in Isfahan a selective GDM screening method seems to be more appropriate for this community.