Role of screening tests for gestational carbohydrate intolerance.

A variety of tests are available to screen gestational diabetes mellitus but there is disagreement about the value of these tests in screening it. One hundred-pregnant patients were selected at random for sequential gestational carbohydrate intolerance test (GCIT) with the purpose of identifying gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) at its earliest. Patients with values of GCIT above 120 mg% were advised to undergo glucose tolerance test (GTT). GCIT at random is a great strain on hospital resources. But GCIT can identify the patients who need a GTT for diagnosing GDM. In many cases of abnormal GCIT, GTT may be normal.