Haemoglobin A1c as a screening tool to identify pre ‐diabetes and diabetes in postpartum women with gestational diabetes

Abstract The primary objective of this study was to determine the right test and time for postpartum screening of women with gestational diabetes to identify diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance. Retrospective data were collected on women with gestational diabetes followed at the Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Care at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Of the 150 women included in this study, blood work was completed in 42 (28%) of the subjects. Of the women completing laboratory tests, 23 of them (56.1%) had an abnormal test result. Using the standard tests, 15 (41.7%) of the women tested positive based on HbA1c ≥5.7% (39 mmol/mol), six (16.7%) based on fasting glucose ≥100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/L), and 10 (27%) based on 2‐hour 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) ≥140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L). However, due to better negative predictive value, HbA1c was more accurate than 2‐hour OGTT. Of the standard testing available, HbA1c alone identified the majority of the subjects with an abnormal test. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons.
Source: Practical Diabetes - Category: Endocrinology Authors: Tags: Original article Source Type: research