Diagnostic Utility of Oral Glucose Tolerance Test to Identify Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Expectant Mothers

Apart from poverty and political conflicts, India faces another major challenge that is termed as ‘Diabetes.’ It is an everlasting health challenge and not only affects the older aged ones, but also it can affect the Children and Pregnant females. The topic of discussion in this study is restricted to Gestational Diabetes Condition (GDM), a condition where the expecting mother’s blood exceeds the normal glucose levels due to various physiological and pathological factors which ultimately affects the unborn child too. The patients are fed with 75 gm oral glucose and their blood is collected thrice at an interval of 1-hour, followed by assessment of their blood glucose levels using GOD-POD (Glucose oxidase peroxidase) method and analyzing them to rule out GDM. As per WHO guidelines, those patients were considered gestationally diabetic whose FBS was > 92 mg/dL or 2-hour OGTT value was > 153 mg/dL. Among all the patients taken for the study, around 30% of them are affected with the disease. However, more detailed study with larger population is required to lay a strong conclusion and throw light on unexplored areas like connection between hypertension and GDM.