Screening for gestational diabetes mellitus: A prospective study in a tertiary care institution of North India

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the relevance of universal screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in the patients attending the antenatal clinic of a tertiary institute of North India. Material and Methods: This was a prospective study conducted on 700 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic of Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi at or before 24 weeks of gestation. All patients underwent screening with a 50‐g 1‐h glucose challenge test at 24–28 weeks of gestation. The women with an abnormal glucose challenge test subsequently underwent a diagnostic 3‐h oral glucose tolerance test. All the patients were followed up till delivery. Results: Out of 700, thirteen patients were lost to follow up and hence the final outcomes were measured on 687 patients. Out of 687, 613 patients (89.2%) had a normal glucose challenge test value, that is, <140 mg%, and 74 (10.8%) had a glucose challenge test value ≥140 mg%. On the subsequent oral glucose tolerance test, 64 (9.3%) had normal values and only 10 (1.5%) had an abnormal oral glucose tolerance test, that is, GDM. Conclusion: With such a low prevalence rate it appears to be unjustified to recommend universal screening for GDM. These findings may be considered as a basis for conducting larger, multicentric studies to establish the prevalence rate of GDM before deciding on a policy for screening.