Experts from Israel have developed a list of nine parameters that can be used to determine the risk of diabetes during pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a happy and exciting period for the expectant mother. However, the expectation of seeing your baby is clouded by anxiety about health and an endless string of tests and examinations. One of the most annoying for most women is the glucose tolerance test.
In order to carry out this test and exclude gestational diabetes mellitus, the patient has to drink a sugary sweet drink that rarely can be enjoyed by anyone. However, now this procedure can be replaced by a simple questionnaire consisting of nine questions.
The questionnaire was compiled using an algorithm recently developed by Israeli scientists. With the help of this algorithm, it became possible to determine the likelihood of the risk of developing diabetes even before pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes mellitus is one of the most common types of metabolic disorders during pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes mellitus is one of the most common types of metabolic disorders during pregnancy. This condition, characterized by hyperglycemia, that is, increased blood sugar levels, is diagnosed in 3-9% of expectant mothers who have not previously suffered from diabetes.
The disease manifests itself around the fourth month of pregnancy. It is during this period that hormones are actively produced in the placenta, which stimulate the development of the fetus. However, these hormones suppress the action of insulin.
As a result, the pancreas produces much more insulin than before in order to keep blood sugar levels normal. Sometimes, the pancreas fails, and this leads to negative consequences for both the health of the mother and the health of the child.
Experts from Israel have developed a questionnaire of nine parameters that can be used to determine the risk of diabetes during pregnancy instead of drinking sugary sweet drink during the glucose tolerance test.
Specialists of the Research Institute named after Weizmann developed an algorithm that is able to predict the risks of this disease. The description of the algorithm and the test results were presented in the journal Nature Medical.
Researchers analyzed data from more than five hundred thousand pregnancies. The data was taken from the database of the Israeli medical association Clalit. Further, machine learning was applied to records obtained from medical records of 450,000 pregnant women who gave birth between 2010 and 2017, among whom 18,000 had gestational diabetes.
After processing the data, the algorithm identified nine parameters that can be used to accurately determine the increased risk of developing diabetes in pregnant women. Among these indicators, the main ones are:
- age,
- body mass index,
- family history of diabetes,
- glucose tolerance test results from previous pregnancies, if any.
To confirm the study’s findings, the researchers applied these nine parameters to the medical records of an additional 140,000 pregnancies. The results of the work done were correct.
Thus, with just nine questions, doctors can determine if a patient is at high risk of developing gestational diabetes during the planning phase of the child, which will allow to take the necessary preventive measures in advance. In turn, women, whose questionnaire reveals a low risk of diabetes, will be able to save on the cost of glucose tests and avoid the inconvenience associated with the peculiarities of this procedure.