More than half of gestational diabetes cases not diagnosed
According to a new report the NHS misses more than 50% of gestational diabetes cases – putting mothers-to-be at risk of additional health complications.
A new study has found that the standard NHS procedures for processing gestational diabetes blood glucose tests were leading to more than 50% of cases being missed.
If undiagnosed or untreated gestational diabetes can lead to serious complications for the mother, such as the development of preeclampsia, and for the baby an increased risk of admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for breathing difficulties, low blood glucose and, in some severe cases, a risk of major complications including stillbirth and death.
These risks can be reduced with timely diagnosis and intervention during the pregnancy.
The study, recently published in Diabetic Medicine, was carried out by Professor Claire Meek of the University of Leicester and colleagues at the University of Cambridge with funding from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The findings revealed that processing the blood glucose test of mothers at risk of gestational diabetes faster could lead to more accurate diagnosis of this serious condition.
Using standard NHS sample processing procedures, 9% of women in the study were diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The researchers found that when blood was processed faster, 22% of women in the study were found to have gestational diabetes, a difference of 13%. Researchers said that without faster sample processing, more than half the women found to have gestational diabetes would have gone undiagnosed.
In the report, researchers concluded: “An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with enhanced glucose processing would support more accurate, equitable diagnosis of gestational diabetes, but with increased diagnosis rates.”
As we recently reported there is recently available At home testing to help women at risk of developing gestational diabetes.
The new testing kit is part of an initiative from Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust to make gestational diabetes testing more accessible and improve health equity across their patient population.
Professor of Chemical Pathology and Diabetes in Pregnancy, Claire Meek said: “Gestational diabetes, which affects women in pregnancy, is very common in the UK and causes complications at the time of birth, affecting both mother and child. Fortunately, most complications can be prevented by accurate diagnosis and access to treatment. However, if the diagnosis is not accurate, then affected mothers cannot access the treatment they need.”
James Jackson, Founder and CEO of Digostics, said: “Professor Meek’s research definitively shows that in the UK's standard OGTT testing is failing to diagnose more than 50% of women who have gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Without a diagnosis, the risks of gestational diabetes cannot be mitigated, and mothers and babies are being left at risk of serious, lifelong, and life-threatening health complications.
“The at-home OGTT we have developed avoids the sample processing delays identified in Professor Meek’s research, and we are identifying a higher rate of gestational diabetes than in-clinic OGTTs. Patients find the test easy to use and we’re extending access to screening to women from underserved patient groups frequently marginalised by in-clinic OGTT provision. The GTT@home test is in use across a number of NHS Trusts in England, and we are in discussions with many more to make this important new technology available to more expectant mothers who are at risk of gestational diabetes.”
Read the report in Diabetic Medicine
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