Abstract

BACKGROUND
Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) and intensive therapy with insulin demonstrated to have a positive effects in the reduction of the neonatal complications in women with gestational diabetes (GDM). However the utility of SMBG in the mild GDM who does not requiring insulin has not been formally reported. Therefore, to evaluate the effectiveness of SMBG in the management of mild GDM, we compared the pregnancy outcome and the postpartum glucose tolerance of women who monitored their glycemic control by SMBG to those of women who monitored by laboratory glucose test at each office visit during pregnancy. METHODS: We studied 185 women diagnosed as a GDM by NDDG criteria and their fasting glucose concentration < 5.8 mM. All subjects had singleton pregnancy,and no medical diseases that may affect fetal growth, and were certain of gestational age by early ultrasonography. They were treated with an identical GDM management protocol except glucose monitoring. One hundred five women were monitored by laboratory glucose test at each office visit (office group) and 80 women were monitored by SMBG (SMBG group). Pregnancy outcome including rates of cesarian section, obstetric complication, LGA infant and glucose tolerance status at postpartum were compared between two groups. RESULTS: The age, height, prepregnancy weight, weight at delivery and parity were not significantly different between the two groups. Fasting, 1-h, 2-h glucose concentration during the diagnostic test of GDM in SMBG group were similar to those of office group. However, 3-h glucose concentration of office group was 0.3 mM higher than that of SMBG group. The rate of primary cesarian section, preterm labor and pregnancy-induced hypertension of SMBG group were similar to those of office group. The mean postprandial 2-h glucose concentration of office group measured at each office was 0.5 mM higher than that of SMBG group. Although 5% of office group were treated with insulin, 24% of SMBG group were requiring insulin therapy. The birth weight and LGA infant rate of office group were 3403 432 g and 28%, those were heavier and higher than those of SMBG group (3169 447 g, 13.8%). The 90% of office group and 84% of SMBG group were performed 75 g oral glucose tolerance test at postpartum 6-8 weeks. There was no significant difference in rates of diabetes and IGT between office and SMBG group (9.5%, 11.6%; 7.5%, 9.0% respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that SMBG is very seful in early detection of maternal hyperglycemia and lowing the postprandial glucose, as well as reducing the rate of LGA infants in women with mild GDM.

• Keywords: Gestational diabetes;Pregnancy outcome;Glucose monitoring;