Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
06:46
A High-Throughput Multiplexed Screening for Type 1 Diabetes, Celiac Diseases, and COVID-19
Published on: July 5, 2022
Gaps in diabetes screening during pregnancy and postpartum
Amy J Blatt1, Jon M Nakamoto, Harvey W Kaufman
1From Quest Diagnostics, West Norriton, Pennsylvania, San Juan Capistrano, California, and Madison, New Jersey.
Obstetrics and Gynecology
|December 22, 2010
Summary
Many pregnant women miss gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) screening, and postpartum diabetes testing remains low. New GDM diagnostic criteria could double prevalence, necessitating practice changes.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Endocrinology
- Public Health
Background:
- Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects maternal and fetal health.
- Current screening and diagnostic criteria for GDM vary.
- Postpartum diabetes screening is crucial for long-term maternal health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine GDM screening and prevalence rates in a national sample of pregnant women.
- To assess postpartum diabetes screening rates.
- To evaluate the impact of new International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria on GDM prevalence.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of laboratory data from Quest Diagnostics for pregnant women screened for GDM.
- Prevalence calculation using current American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria and new IADPSG criteria.
- Assessment of postpartum diabetes testing within six months.
Main Results:
- 68% of pregnant women (ages 25-40) were screened for GDM.
- 5% of screened pregnant women had positive GDM tests under current criteria.
- Only 19% of women with GDM received postpartum diabetes testing.
- The 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) under IADPSG criteria would double GDM prevalence.
Conclusions:
- GDM screening rates during pregnancy are suboptimal.
- Postpartum diabetes screening rates are low.
- Implementing IADPSG criteria requires significant adjustments to clinical practices.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia. The four categories of diabetes are type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, other specific types of diabetes, and gestational diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility, suggesting a...
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility, suggesting a...
01:22Diabetes Mellitus: Type 2 and Gestational
Type 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance, arises when the insulin receptors on cells lose responsiveness to insulin, diminishing the cell's capacity to take up glucose, resulting in elevated blood glucose levels. To receive a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, a series of blood glucose tests are necessary to assess whether the blood glucose falls within normal parameters. If the result is out of the normal range, a patient may be diagnosed as prediabetic or diabetic, depending on the...
01:25Type II Diabetes Mellitus III: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnosis
Type 2 diabetes mellitus develops gradually and is often asymptomatic in early stages.Clinical ManifestationsWhen symptoms appear, they include fatigue, blurred vision, pruritus, delayed wound healing, and recurrent infections, particularly candidal infections. Peripheral neuropathy may present as numbness or tingling in the extremities. Classic hyperglycemia symptoms—polyuria, polydipsia, and polyphagia—are less common. Most patients are overweight and frequently have associated hypertension...
01:15Diabetes: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Complications
For most patients, experiencing several weeks of polyuria, polydipsia, fatigue, and significant weight loss may indicate the presence of diabetes. Furthermore, adults displaying the phenotypic appearance of type 2 diabetes (particularly those who are obese and not initially insulin-requiring), may have islet cell autoantibodies, suggesting autoimmune-mediated β cell destruction and a diagnosis of latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA). The categorization of glucose homeostasis is based on...
01:29Hyperglycemia
Hyperglycemia is an abnormally high blood glucose level. It is diagnosed by fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL, 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (or OGTT) ≥200 mg/dL, random glucose ≥200 mg/dL with symptoms, or HbA1c ≥6.5%. However, HbA1c results may be unreliable in certain conditions, such as anemia or hemoglobinopathies, and the diagnosis should be confirmed unless classic symptoms are present. Postprandial hyperglycemia is typically considered significant when glucose levels exceed 180 mg/dL two...
01:26Diabetes Mellitus: Introduction
Diabetes mellitus consists of chronic metabolic disorders characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. This elevated blood glucose results from defects in insulin secretion, impaired insulin action, or both. Insulin, produced by pancreatic β-cells, is essential for maintaining glucose homeostasis by facilitating cellular glucose uptake for energy or storage. Disruptions in insulin production or function lead to glucose accumulation in the bloodstream, causing the clinical features and long-term...