Casual Blood Glucose Testing Misses ~70 Percent of Gestational Diabetes Cases

FRIDAY, Sept. 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Casual blood glucose (CBG) testing at 24 to 28 gestational weeks misses about 70 percent of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), according to a study published online Sept. 18 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.

Masako Tomimoto, M.D., from the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan, and colleagues enrolled 763 pregnant women who underwent the 50-g glucose challenge test (GCT) at 24 to 28 gestational weeks to examine problems in screening for GDM by CBG measurements. The preload blood glucose (0-h BG) on 50-g GCT with CBG was identified, and the relationship between 50-g GCT positivity (1-h BG on 50-g GCT ≥140 mg/dL) and CBG positivity (0-h BG on 50-g GCT ≥100 mg/dL) was examined.

The researchers found that of the 240 women with 50-g GCT positivity who underwent the 75-g oral glucose tolerance test, GDM was diagnosed in 98 (40.8 percent). Overall, 71 (71.7 percent) of the 99 women with GDM had 0-h BG <100 mg/dL on 50-g GCT.

“Although there have been studies showing that the casual blood glucose test is less sensitive than others, no studies have directly compared the results in the same individuals,” Tomimoto said in a statement. “Our study confirmed that this screening method, which is widely used in practice, frequently misses the condition it is meant to detect.”

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