In March, 2018, the Union health ministry has revised the guidelines for treating gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Now the guidelines call for a universal screening for GDM in pregnant women.
GDM is defined as Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) with onset or first recognition during pregnancy. Universal screening will result in far-reaching implications for maternal and child health in the country because
- GDM increases the risk to pregnant women and newborns and leads to poor pregnancy outcomes. Universal screening will provide for timely interventions to prevent complications.
- It will make guidelines in India conformity with the standards across the world.
- If GDM is controlled it may adversely affect the mother and foetus. About 10% of the people will have trans-generational diabetes. If the baby is female, she will develop GDM later, and if the infant is male, he will go on to develop a pre-diabetic condition called IGT. Thus resulting in a vicious cycle. The universal screening will aid in breaking this vicious cycle.
India is regarded as world’s capital of diabetes. Universal screening will aid in timely interventions through diet, drugs like metformin or insulin. This will make contributing efforts for building a healthy India. The Hindu