Early postpartum HbA1c after hyperglycemia first detected in pregnancy—Imperfect but not without value

BACKGROUND: South African women of childbearing age are disproportionally affected by obesity and at significant risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Unless pregnant, they do not readily undergo screening for T2DM. With a local focus on improved antenatal care, hyperglycemia is often first detected in pregnancy (HFDP). This may erroneously be attributed to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in all without considering T2DM. Glucose evaluation following pregnancy is essential for early detection and management of women with T2DM in whom persistent hyperglycemia is to be expected. Conventional testing with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is cumbersome, prompting investigation for alternate solutions. AIM: To compare the diagnostic performance of HbA1c to the current gold standard OGTT in women with HFDP 4–12 weeks post-delivery. METHODS: Glucose homeostasis was assessed with OGTT and HbA1c in 167 women with HFDP, 4–12 weeks after delivery. Glucose status was based on American Diabetes Association criteria. RESULTS: Glucose homeostasis was assessed at 10 weeks (IQR 7–12) after delivery. Of the 167 participants, 52 (31%) had hyperglycemia, which was comprised of 34 (20%) prediabetes and 18 (11%) T2DM. Twelve women in the prediabetes subgroup had diagnostic fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 2-hour plasma glucose (2hPG), but in two-thirds of the patients (22/34) only one time point proved diagnostic. The FPGs and the 2hPGs of six women with HbA1c-based T2DM were both within the prediabetes diagnostic range. According to the HbA1c measurements, 85% of 52 participants with gold standard OGTT defined hyperglycemia (prediabetes and T2DM) as well as 15 of 18 women with postpartum persistent T2DM were correctly classified. According to FPG, 15 women with persistent hyperglycemia would have been missed (11 with prediabetes and four with T2DM; 29%). When compared to an OGTT, a single HbA1c of 6.5% (48mmol/mol) postpartum demonstrated a sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 97% for the identification of T2DM. CONCLUSION: HbA1c may improve access to postpartum testing in overburdened clinical settings where the required standards of OGTT cannot be guaranteed. HbA1c is a valuable test to detect women who will benefit most from early intervention but cannot unequivocally replace OGTT.