Abstract
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is any degree of glucose intolerance reported during pregnancy. The global pandemic of diabetes has reached alarming proportions and the entity of gestational diabetes also shows a similar trend. Indian women are at a 11 fold increased risk compared to their western counterparts. This situation entails great public health importance due to the preventive strategies which can be carried out. Recent consensus statement of diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group of India calls for a uniform screening test with 75 g of glucose at 2 hours with a cut off of 140 mg/dl for diagnosis enabling uniformity in diagnosis and comparative studies. Gestational diabetes begets diabetes and strategies aimed at halting transgenerational transmission of GDM can have great public health outcomes. This review focuses on the global and Indian · situation of GDM, contributing factors, concepts of screening & preventive measures and options for the future. The Indian mother offers a unique clinical situation where effective public health measures delivered can halt the epidemic of diabetes. Indian women have the highest frequency of GDM. Universal Screening for GDM during pregnancy using simple diagnostic criteria is essential for Indian women.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 9-14 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Biomedicine (India) |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Jan 2009 |
Keywords
- Gestational diabetes
- Prevention
- Public health importance
- Uniform diagnostic criteria
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology