A RAPID TEST FOR DIABETES SCREENING DURIN G PREGNANCY

Gestational diabetes affects about 3% of pregnancies in German-speakin g countries. Roughly one third of these pregnancies develop a requirem ent of insulin. In unrecognised and hence untreated pregnancies, perin atal morbidity and mortality are increased 20-fold. Gestational diabet es is asymptomatic and only 60% of patients have risk factors for the condition; thus, general screening with oral glucose tolerance testing is necessary to detect all cases. Most antenatal medical care is prov ided by gynaecologists in practice and by general practitioners who do not have a sophisticated laboratory at their immediate disposal. Gene ral screening requires a test that is simple, inexpensive and quick bu t nonetheless meets high quality standards. A new microcuvette rapid t est fulfills these requirements; the results are ready within a few mi nutes' time. We performed parallel blood glucose measurements with a s tandard enzymatic method and with the rapid test in 500 unselected pre gnant women undergoing an oral glucose tolerance test at our obstetric clinic. The mean fasting, 1-hr and 2-hr values were 77,128 and 106 mg /dl, respectively, as measured by the enzymatic test and 75,129 and 10 7 mg/dl as measured by the rapid test. The results of the reference en zymatic method and the rapid test agreed at a high level of significan ce (r = 0.98; p < 0.0001).