Evaluation of screening test for gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women without risk factor

Background and aimDiabetes mellitus affects 3-5% of all pregnancies, and because of high perinatal mortality and morbidity global screening appears logical. The aim of this study was to evaluate the screening test for gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women without risk factor in Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran.Materials and methodsA screening study with sequential sampling is done on 207 pregnant women without risk factor who were recruited from the antenatal clinic at Taleghani Hospital. All women underwent a 50gm glucose challenge test between 24-28 weeks of gestation. After 1 hour, glucose test was checked. If the glucose test was more than140mg/dl, then the woman was asked to undergo a 100gm oral glucose tolerance test. The diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus was carried out according to the National Diabetes Data Group Criteria.FindingsThe results showed that a total of 51 females exhibited plasma glucose level R 140mg/dl following the 50gm glucose challenge test. Of the 51 women enrolled for the 100gm oral glucose tolerance test, 13 were diagnosed to have gestational diabetes mellitus (positive OGTT) and 38 were considered oral glucose tolerance test negative. This result showed a prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus of 6.2%.ConclusionThe results of this study showed that glucose challenge test is a valuable test for screening of gestational diabetes in women without risk factor.