Screening for Gestational Diabetes in a Teaching Hospital in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

EDITORIAL COMMENT: It is difficult to compare the incidence of gestational diabetes in different communities unless the same methods of testing are used, and the same criteria for gestational diabetes adopted. In this paper from Saudi Arabia the authors used the same methodology and definitions as did El‐Shafei and Colleagues in the preceding paper in this issue of the journal, comparing the incidence and severity of gestational diabetes in Bahrain and Melbourne. However, it should be noted that Khwaja and colleagues estimated glucose in venous plasma whereas the other study used capillary plasma which has a higher glucose value — this probably accounts for the relatively small number of milder cases of gestational diabetes in the Saudi series. Summary: This study was undertaken to determine the incidence and severity of gestational diabetes in our hospital population which is predominantly Arab; 455 consecutive patients were screened by a 3‐hour glucose tolerance test in the third trimester of pregnancy. The overall incidence of gestational diabetes was found to be 11% and the incidence increased with increasing maternal age, parity and weight. A high prevalence of more severe degrees of gestational diabetes was noted among the Arabs. Glucose intolerance was observed in 2 patients in the absence of any risk factor. The most common high risk factor in patients found to have gestational diabetes was maternal age of 30 years or more. Copyright © 1989, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved