Volume 195 - Issue 5
The impact of potential new diagnostic criteria on the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in Australia
Authors: Barbara Depczynski, Vincent W Wong, Hamish D Russell and Nicole Opie
Med J Aust 2011; 195 (5): 268. || doi: 10.5694/mja11.10462
Published online: 5 September 2011
Published online: 5 September 2011
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
The new criteria were discussed at the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society annual scientific meeting in 2010. Moses and colleagues accurately outline the increased prevalence of GDM if IADPSG criteria are adopted in Australia.4 An increased prevalence has implications for resource allocation, and the anticipated increase in workload can be managed by appropriate planning and exploration of alternative models of care.
We surveyed attitudes to the management of GDM among general practitioners already involved in antenatal shared care programs in the Liverpool and Fairfield areas of Sydney (GDM is not currently part of the shared care program in this urban area, which has a high prevalence of diabetes).
Around 120 GPs are enrolled in the antenatal shared care program in the Liverpool and Fairfield areas. Forty-six of these GPs attended an educational meeting at which the survey was distributed, and of the 46 (who all completed the survey), only seven believed that GDM can always be managed in the antenatal shared care program. Seventeen felt that, due to lack of time or lack of access to appropriate resources, GDM cannot be managed at all by GPs as part of shared antenatal care; eight of these 17 indicated that they never initiated insulin for patients with type 2 diabetes. Only two indicated that no up-skilling was required for them to manage GDM. These attitudes may be limited to GPs in urban practices.
Whether the involvement of GPs in the management of GDM is appropriate is unclear, and the provision of supporting resources requires further review. Additionally, as determined by Moses and colleagues,4 the predicted increase would come from older women who are possibly more likely to have other comorbidities that make them less suitable for shared care.
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).
References
- 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.
- 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. 0_i1140463
- American Diabetes Association. Diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care 2011; 34 Suppl 1: S62-S69. 0_i1140465
- 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. 0_i1140467
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