Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State and a prominent diabetologist has called for obligatory blood sugar tests for all pregnant women, even if they show no symptoms. Dr. Singh, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the two-day 15th Annual Conference of the Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI 2021) virtually yesterday, stated that diabetes diagnosis is critical in preventing illness in the younger generation.
He stated that any diagnostic criteria and procedure should be simple, easy to use, cost-effective and evidence-based and that diagnosing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) with a ‘Single Test Procedure’ recommended by the ‘Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI)’ and endorsed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is an affordable test to meet the needs of people from all walks of life.
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) have all authorised this test technique.
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Dr. Singh further said, as per the country’s 2014 national guidelines, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has mandated screening of all pregnant women for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) as part of a routine antenatal package, but its implementation at the primary healthcare level is still suboptimal.
Dr. Singh stated that Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a fast-growing global public health issue that affects people of all ages. GDM complicates almost four million pregnancies in India alone each year.
According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF 2019), diabetes affects around 463 million people worldwide, with that number expected to rise to 642 million by 2040.
In 2019, the global prevalence of Hyperglycemia in Pregnancy (HIP) in the 20-49-year-old age range was predicted to be 20.4 million or 15.8% of all live births. They experienced hyperglycemia during pregnancy, 83.6 percent of which was related to GDM, which has become a global public health issue.
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Poor Glycemic Control in GDM or HIP is a future risk for the development of Metabolic syndrome/Non-Communicable diseases (NCD) in the offspring born out of the HIP, said the Union Minister of State. Therefore, every effort must be made to avert the rising burden of NCD by providing excellent care during pregnancy to reduce all the feto-maternal adverse outcomes associated with this condition.
DIPSI 2021 Guidelines and a book written by Professor V Seshaiah, DIPSI’s founder patron, were also virtually released by Dr. Jitendra Singh.
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