Original Article Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in India

Background: Glucose intolerance during pregnancy predisposes the offspring for increased risk of developing glucose intolerance in the future. This vicious cycle is likely to influence and perpetuate the incidence and prevalence of glucose intolerance in any population. Aim: No data is available about the prevalence of glucose intolerance during pregnancy in our country and hence a study was undertaken on this aspect. Methods: This study was performed in the antenatal clinic of Government Maternity Hospital, Chennai, India. As a pregnant woman in second or third trimester checks into the antenatal clinic, she was given 50 gm oral glucose load and blood sample was collected after one hour. This test was performed on 1251 pregnant women. They were requested to come after 72 hours for the 75 gm OGTT recommended by WHO. Among the 1251 women, 891 responded. The blood sample was taken in the fasting state and at 2 hours after 75 gm of oral glucose. Diagnosis was based on the WHO criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Results: The mean age of these pregnant women was 23 ± 4 years. There was a significant increase in the prevalence of GDM in relation to gravida. The effect of BMI did not quite reach statistical significanc