Screening strategy for gestational diabetes mellitus in a rural health setting in Kanpur (UP)

Introduction: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is defined as carbohydrate intolerance with its onset or diagnosis in pregnancy. Changing lifestyle and food habits are largely responsible for increasing incidence of Diabetes Mellitus, especially, in younger age groups. The same increasing trend is being observed in gestational diabetes mellitus. Treatment of GDM improves perinatal as well as maternal outcome. Timely diagnosis of GDM may result in reduced maternal and neonatal morbidity. The high risk pregnancies due to GDM contribute highly towards poor maternal and fetal outcome. GDM is one of the major causes for increased incidence of Macrosomia and primary Cesarean section abnormal 75-g GTT results show strong correlation with macrosomia. Materials and Methods: The sample size was calculated using the formula for comparing the means of two groups, using the results of Boyd, R. Leigh, B. and Stuart, P. as preliminary estimate for the average difference in mean capillary and venous blood sugar. A sample of 60 ANC cases has been studied as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Aim and Objectives: Improvement in the diagnostic ability of the screening test for Diabetes Mellitus by comparing the commonly used method of using RBS with fasting 2hr GTT. Result: The mean age was found to be 27.75 ± 4.31 years. Mean Gestational age of the cases was 27.53 ± 7.29 Weeks. Mean OGTT (fasting) has been found to be statistically significantly higher than their RBS (‘t' = 5.731 p < 0> Conclusion: A new strategy for using fasting OGTT as screening test has amongst ANC cases of rural population been suggested.