Fasting plasma glucose concentration can be used to screen for gestational diabetes

Although new diagnostic criteria for diabetes mellitus outside pregnancy have been adopted by the American Diabetes Association and the World Health Organisation, there continues to be a lack of consensus on both diagnostic and screening criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus. Perucchini et al (p 812) found that using the fasting plasma glucose concentration with a cut off value of 4.8 mmol/l is an easier screening procedure for gestational diabetes than the 1 hour 50 g glucose challenge test and allows 70% of women to omit a glucose challenge test.