Prevalence of glucose intolerance at 6 weeks postpartum in Indian women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Aims: Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have an increased risk for future glucose intolerance, and should be followed up with subsequent screening for the development of diabetes or pre-diabetes at 6-12 weeks postpartum. We studied the prevalence of glucose intolerance at 6 weeks postpartum in Indian women with GDM diagnosed according to ADA criteria.

Materials And Methods: This longitudinal study, conducted at a tertiary care centre, included 75 Asian-Indian women aged ≥18 years, with a diagnosis of GDM (as per ADA criteria), who were referred to the Endocrine Department at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi. A 2-h 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed at 6 weeks postpartum.

Results: Out of the 75 women who had GDM and were recommended an OGTT at 6 weeks postpartum, 17.3% did not return for the test. Out of 62 women, one-third (33.8%) developed an abnormal OGTT at 6 weeks postpartum, while 66.1% had reverted to normal glucose tolerance. Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) was seen in 14.5%, 4.8% had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), 8% had both IFG and IGT, and 6.4% had overt type 2 diabetes.

Conclusion: Our study emphasizes the need for compulsory follow up OGTT for women with GDM in our part of the world in view of ethnicity and prevailing socio-cultural factors.