A 75 g glucose load for diabetic screening in pregnancy ― an evaluation

Screening for impairment of glucose tolerance in pregnancy is mandatory if a satisfactory standard of antenatal care is to be achieved. This is especially so in a population in which the prevalence of diabetes is unusually high such as in South African Indians. A number of screening systems have been devised utilising different glucose loads for glucose tolerance tests. Using the 75 g load recommended by the World Health Organisation our mean glucose value was 8.4 mmol/l. The sensitivity of this test was 83% with a specificity of 90.7%. A protocol of screening at an antenatal clinic is presented.