The utility of diagnostic tests in the detection and prediction of glucose intolerance in the early and late postpartum period in women after gestational diabetes: a longitudinal cohort study

Table 2 Prevalence of glucose intolerance according to different diagnostic tests at different postpartum periods in the entire cohort population

Diagnostic test	All n = 967	Normal n = 791 (81.8%)	Pathological n = 176 (18.2%)
At 4–12 weeks postpartum	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)
Glucose tolerance defined by 75-g oGTT^a
Fasting glucose (n = 967)
Normal	838 (86.8)	791 (100)	49 (27.4)
Pathological	129 (13.2)	0 (0)	127 (72.6)
2 hr glucose (n = 956)
Normal	870 (91.0)	784 (100)	86 (50.0)
Pathological	86 (9.0)	0 (0)	86 (50.0)
HbA1c (n = 960)
Normal	768 (80.0)	665 (84.7)	103 (58.9)
Pathological	192 (20.0)	120 (15.3)	72 (41.1)
Fasting glucose and HbA1c (n = 967)
Normal	702 (72.6)	671(84.8)	31 (17.6)
Pathological	265 (27.4)	120 (15.2)	145 (82.4)
oGTT and HbA1c (n = 967)
Normal	671 (69.4)	671 (84.8)	0 (0)
Pathological	296 (30.6)	120 (15.2)	176 (100)

Diagnostic test	All n = 324	Normal n = 194 (59.9%)	Pathological n = 130 (40.1%)
At 1-year postpartum	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)
Glucose tolerance defined by FPG and HbA1c^b
Fasting glucose (n = 322)
Normal	210 (65.2)	192 (100)	18 (13.8)
Pathological	112 (34.8)	0(0)	112 (86.2)
HbA1c (n = 324)
Normal	273 (84.3)	194 (100)	79 (60.8)
Pathological	51 (15.7)	0 (0)	51 (39.2)
Fasting glucose and HbA1c (n = 324)
Normal	194 (59.9)	194 (100)	0 (0)
Pathological	130 (40.1)	0 (0)	130 (100)

Diagnostic test	All n = 69	Normal n = 42 (60.9%)	Pathological n = 27 (39.1%)
At 3-year postpartum	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)
Glucose tolerance defined by FPG and HbA1c^b
Fasting glucose (n = 69)
Normal	44 (63.2)	42 (100)	2 (7.4)
Pathological	25 (36.8)	0 (0)	25 (92.6)
HbA1c (n = 69)
Normal	61 (89.7)	42 (100)	19 (73.1)
Pathological	8 (10.3)	0 (0)	8 (26.3)
Fasting glucose and HbA1c (n = 69)
Normal	42 (60.9)	42 (100)	0 (0)
Pathological	27 (39.1)	0 (0)	27 (100)

oGTT denotes oral glucose tolerance test, FPG denotes fasting glucose, HbA1c denotes glycated hemoglobin
^aNormal glucose tolerance, defined as FPG < 5.6 mmol/l or 2 hr glucose < 7.8 mmol/l; Pathological defined as FPG ≥ 5.6 mmol/l or 2 hr glucose ≥ 7.8 mmol/l. All pathological values were regrouped as glucose intolerance (= pathological glucose tolerance)
^bNormal glucose tolerance, defined as FPG < 5.6 mmol/l or HbA1c < 5.7%; Pathological, defined as FPG ≥ 5.6 mmol/l or HbA1c ≥ 5.7%. All pathological values were regrouped as glucose intolerance (= pathological glucose tolerance)
Pathological glucose intolerance includes few women with diabetes and this concerns 22 women at 4–12 weeks postpartum, 10 women at 1-year postpartum and 1 woman at 3-year postpartum. Due to the low number of women concerned, we grouped them into pathological glucose intolerance and therefore did not use the term prediabetes

ISSN: 1758-5996