Our purpose was to determine the incidence of screening for
gestational diabetes among the population of women delivering at I and II Departments of the First Faculty of Medical University in Warsaw. A retrospective review of 647 pregnancies was performed. The incidence of
gestational diabetes mellitus screening was determined and the rate of occurrence of GDM analyzed. 310 (48%) pregnancies were screened for
gestational diabetes mellitus with a 1-hour, 50 gm oral
glucose challenge test. 49 (16.07%) of the screens had positive results at a plasma
glucose level of > 139 mg/dl. Two-hour 75 gm oral
glucose tolerance tests (according to the 1994 World Health Organization panel recommendations) were performed on screen-positive women, eleven of whom (22.45%) were diagnosed with
gestational diabetes mellitus. Despite of positive oral 50 gm
glucose test, (plasma
glucose level 140-179 mg/l) 15 women (30%) haven't had the 75 gm oral
glucose test. The incidence of GDM among analyzed population is 4% and when GDM screening is carried out, exceeds 7%. Early gestational
glucose screening, if performed, may be beneficial in detecting
gestational diabetes. Consideration should be given to fulfill it more frequently and for sure, repeat
glucose testing in patients with positive one-hour screening tests.