The impact of potential new diagnostic criteria  on the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in Australia

Depczynski, Barbara; Wong, Vincent W; Russell, Hamish D; Opie, Nicole

doi:10.5694/mja11.10462

Topics

To the Editor: The Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes (HAPO) study, a large, blinded, multinational study, showed an increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in relation to maternal glycaemia, at glucose levels below the current Australian criteria for diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).1 The International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG), an international consensus group, has proposed new criteria for the diagnosis of GDM.2 As a result, these new criteria have been adopted by the American Diabetes Association, which predicts a significant increase in the prevalence of GDM.3

Diabetes and Endocrinology, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, NSW.

Correspondence: barbara.depczynski@sswahs.nsw.gov.au

Competing interests:

Barbara Depczynski and Hamish Russell have received payments for lectures to their institutions from Lilly and Novo Nordisk (BD) and Novo Nordisk and Sanofi Aventis (HR).

1. Metzger BE, Lowe LP, Dyer AR, et al; HAPO Study Cooperative Research Group. Hyperglycemia and adverse pregnancy outcomes. N Engl J Med 2008; 358: 1991-2002.
2. Metzger BE, Gabbe SG, Persson B, et al; International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups Consensus Panel. IADPSG recommendations on the diagnosis and classification of hyperglycemia in pregnancy. Diabetes Care 2010; 33: 676-682.
3. American Diabetes Association. Diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care 2011; 34 Suppl 1: S62-S69.
4. Moses RG, Morris GJ, Petocz P, et al. The impact of potential new diagnostic criteria on the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in Australia. Med J Aust 2011; 194: 338-340. <MJA full text>

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