Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Using the Fasting Plasma Glucose Level to Simplify the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups Diagnostic Algorithm in an Adult South Asian Population

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the value of the fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level for simplifying the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) diagnostic algorithm of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a South Asian population.

Methods: In 6,520 pregnant women undergoing universal screening with the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), the area under receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the overall FPG performance to detect GDM (IADPSG criteria). Specifically, 2 different FPG thresholds of the OGTT were used to rule in and rule out GDM so as to decrease the need for the cumbersome OGTT.

Results: GDM was present in 1,193 (18.3%) women. The FPG 1) area under receiver operating characteristic curve (95% CI) was 0.909 (0.898 to 0.920); 2) threshold of ≥5.1 mmol/L independently could rule in GDM in 708 (10.9%) women (100% specificity); 3) threshold of <4.3 mmol/L independently could rule out GDM in an additional 2,389 (36.6%) women (95.6% sensitivity).

Conclusions: By circumventing nearly one half the OGTTs, an initial FPG can simplify the onerous GDM diagnostic IADPSG algorithm in this population parochially and in countries with large South Asian immigrant populations-without compromising medical care.

Keywords: International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG); diabète gestationnel; diagnosis; diagnostic; dépistage; fasting plasma glucose; gestational diabetes; glycémie veineuse à jeun; screening.