[Screening for diabetes in obese pregnant women]

Abstract

Oral glucose tolerance testing (oGTT) was performed according to WHO criteria among obese pregnant women (body mass index greater than 28) who were recruited with the help of computerized pregnancy counselling data base. oGTT was carried out for the first time between gestational ages of 16-20 weeks, and it was repeated monthly as far as possible. Gestational diabetes was diagnosed in 4 cases out of 50 obese patients. Two gestational diabetic patients needed insulin treatment. According to computerized data obese patients have significantly higher risk of having macrosomic infants and/or intrauterine death. Fasting blood glucose values of obese pregnant women were significantly higher in all the gestational ages. It is emphasized that obesity means a risk factor for gestational diabetes, but the onset of carbohydrate intolerance may be prevented or diagnosed as early as possible with the help of repeated oGTT during pregnancy and dietary counselling. In this way fetal complications, especially macrosomia will not develop.