Use of the Japanese gestational diabetes mellitus diagnostic strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: A questionnaire survey.

Aim: Some concerns exist that diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) may be missed when the simplified diagnostic criteria of the Japanese Society of Diabetes and Pregnancy (JSDP) for GDM (published during the COVID-19 pandemic) are used. Moreover, limited data is available regarding how widespread these diagnostic criteria are used when managing GDM during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to determine how GDM diagnosis has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Methods: The changes in GDM diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic were investigated using an online questionnaire to 2159 obstetric facilities in Japan. The questionnaire collected data on facility type, awareness of Japanese GDM diagnostic strategies, modifications to diagnostic methods for early and late GDM, and opinions on GDM management, with the pandemic divided into seven periods.

Results: We received responses from 593 facilities (27%). Approximately 90% of the facilities did not change their diagnostic process for early GDM or late GDM (occurring after 24 weeks gestation). However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 19 facilities discontinued the use of 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests before 24 weeks of gestation, and 17 facilities discontinued it after 24 weeks of gestation, instead using the aforementioned Japanese GDM diagnostic strategy.

Conclusions: Although a limited number of facilities modified their diagnostic method in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this study demonstrated that those that adjusted their diagnostic method primarily used the Japanese COVID-19 GDM strategy by the JSDP.