Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Pakistan: Undiagnosed Threat to Pregnant Women

Dear Editor, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a rare disorder and due to non-uniformity in its diagnostic criteria and changes over time in the recommended glucose values,[1] it is a major and a severe problem during pregnancy. But the time has reached to draw peoples’ attention towards this major medical complication of pregnancy. Women with risk factors such as age greater than 25years; being overweight i.e., BMI > 27kg/m2 before pregnancy and BMI > 30kg/m2 during pregnancy; family history of diabetes; the previous history of pregnancy-induced hypertension and weight of the previous baby of ≥4.5kg have a greater incidence of hyperglycemia during their pregnancy period.[2] American Diabetes Association recommends that all pregnant women without a prior known history of diabetes should undergo a 75g Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) at 24-28 weeks of gestation with a purpose of improving gestational life and preventing adverse pregnancy outcomes.[3] Women with GDM may have LGA (large for gestational age) for birth weight, stillbirth, difficult delivery, neonatal morbidities (respiratory difficulties, neonatal hypoglycemia, jaundice and in most cases death) and impaired healing of the surgical site after cesarean section as a result of uncontrolled diabetes during pregnancy.[4] Read more...