Revise blood sugar cut-off values in Gestational Diabetes, recommends ADA Study

Bengaluru, Karnataka: Findings from recent study stress on the need to revise cut-off values of blood sugar for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GD) in the Indian population. According to the study, published in the ADA journal Diabetes. The researchers have found that even with lower blood sugar cut off values compared to the international classification system, Indian pregnant women are at a higher risk of adverse birth outcomes. 

At present The NICE & Australian guidelines recommend a risk based screening with 75gm 2 hour OGTT with fasting blood sugar ≥126 mg/dL & Postprandil blood sugar 2hr ≥ 140 mg/ dL taken as diagnostic for Gestational diabetes mellitus.

The prevalence of high blood sugar  in pregnancy increases rapidly with age and is highest in women over the age of 45. 

About 5 million pregnant women are affected by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in India which is associated with multiple adverse pregnancy outcomes. Exposure to intrauterine high blood sugar increases the risk of obesity and diabetes in infants. Indian phenotype tends to deposit excess central fat, which is linked to insulin resistance. Giridhara R. Babu from Bangalore, India, and colleagues aimed to determine the effect of varying blood sugar concentrations in predicting adverse maternal and infant outcomes in participants of a birth cohort in India.