For the first time in the country, 14,000 pregnant women will be screened for gestational diabetes (GDM), and equal number of women with and without gestational diabetes and children born to such mothers would be followed up for 15 years.
The screening programme was started two months ago by Dr. V. Seshiah Diabetes Research Institute and Dr. Balaji Diabtetes Care Centre in Chennai, together with the Tamil Nadu government. It is being done at three centres representing rural, semi-urban and urban populations. The three centres are at Thiruvallur, Siadapet and at Dr. V. Seshiah Diabetes Research Institute and Dr. Balaji Diabetes Care Centre. The World Diabetes Foundation is funding the programme.
Screening
“Screening of 14,000 women will be at random and those with gestational diabetes and equal number of women without GDM will be included in the programme,” said Dr. V. Balaji, Senior Diabetologist and Director of Dr. Balaji Diabetes Care Centre and Dr. V. Seshiah Diabetes Research Institute.
During the first year 7,000 women will be screened and another 7,000 women will be screened next year, bringing the total number of women who would be screened to 14,000.
15-year study
The programme will follow-up GDM mothers and children born to them for a period of 15 years (study group). During the same period, equal number of non-GDM mothers and their children will be followed up as controls. For instance, if 2,000 women with GDM are found during the screening, 2,000 non-GDM women will be enrolled as controls.
Gestational diabetes hovers at around 16 per cent in India. Studies have shown that children born to women with uncontrolled gestational diabetes are more prone to suffer from childhood obesity and have a higher risk of developing a metabolic syndrome like diabetes during their adulthood. Similarly, women with uncontrolled gestational diabetes also stand to suffer from diabetes at a later point in their life.
In this programme, the glucose level of all women with gestational diabetes will be controlled either through diet manipulation or insulin. Though some studies show that children born to mothers with gestational diabetes are more prone to developing diabetes, there is no hard data to support this. According to Dr. Balaji, this study will be the first to provide long term data of factors that cause diabetes in children even when they are born to women whose gestational diabetes has been controlled.
“Screening of pregnant women for gestational diabetes will be done immaterial of the gestation period,” said Dr. Balaji.
This becomes essential as gestational diabetes can be detected as early as at 16 weeks of gestation and even in those who have normal glucose level in the first and second trimester can turn up positive for gestational diabetes during the third trimester.
The pilot study conducted by Dr. Balaji, Dr. Seshiah and Dr. Madhuri Balaji together with the State government has been rolled out throughout the Tamil Nadu. Controlling gestational diabetes has now become a national programme and has been implemented in four States, including Bihar.
Keywords: gestational diabetes, GDM, diabetes research, diabetes treatment
It is interesting to know about gestational diabetes (GDM).Though a lot of alternative medicines are recommended by different persons,first of all we have to understand that diabetes is a incurable disease.It can be controlled only .Many people find good results with something like bitter guard,gooseberry,etc,but the fact is that you will not get a long time control with this.Exercise is very helpful in controlling the disease but not curing the disease.Some people are misleading patients that diabetics is curable etc,even some person recommends to eat sugar and exercise as a remedy for controlling diabetes.I have a suggestion, not to get deceived by the propaganda that this disease is curable.It can be controlled and you can continue a normal life if you take proper exercise ,drugs,and avoid sweet items in your daily food
This type of longitudinal data are missing in Indian populations. This will throw light on many aspects of diabetes and metabolic diseases. The results will have implications not just in indian context but world wide. Large sample studies are not easy in the west because of huge costs. Diabetes in pregnancy is poorly managed and a large number not even screened for. Every pregnant woman deserves a glucose test during pregnancy. One should not talk of cost benefit here. The outcome is precious.
India has wealth of material and talent. We only need a few base commanders like Professor Seshaiah for large scale surveys similar to this in other non-communicable disase.
@angeli - could you give more details in the same.kokum juice and jambul.?
We have no english TV media that truly
supports healthy quality of life for India and India's children. This
has to change or diabetes will only be just the tip of the iceberg
which will follow. Best natural way to treat diabetes is to drink a
glass of a mixture of Kokum juice and Jambul (java plum) juice every
morning. I know of a diabetic in Goa, elderly gentleman who was taking
insulin injections and was able to stop the injections with this daily
drink and his complexion changed from sickly grey to a healthy tone.
Also cutting off white sugar would be extremely beneficial and fruits
will do no harm in reasonable quantity. Trouble with insulin is, it is
impossible to dose accurately.
Great effort! Keep it up.
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