Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus is diagnosed as carbohydrate in tolerance demonstrated for the first time in the course of pregnancy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the selective screening method for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) based on: 1- recommendation of the fourth workshop- conference on GDM 2- evaluation of risk factors
Methods: A case- control study was performed on 370 pregnancies inflicted by GDM in Hazrat Zaynab Hospital, Shahed University. The maternal and perinatal outcomes and prevalence of risk factors based on recommendation of the fourth workshop- conference on GDM in these women with GDM were compared with the same data and risk factors of randomly selected 600 pregnant women at the same time and in the same hospital, they all underwent universal testing for GDM, and their OGTT were normal.
Results: The prevalence of all risk factors was significantly higher in the group with GDM, but 45 of these women (12%) had no risk factors. 107 women (29%) with GDM were at low risk and would remain undiagnosed if selective screening method was used. The main neonatal complications in the low- risk group did not differ from the complications in other women with GDM.
Conclusions: The universal screening of all pregnant women seems to justified whereas the recommendations for not screening low- risk group are doubtful and require further examination.