A Retrospective Multicenter Study on the Usefulness of 50 g Glucose Challenge Test in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Screening

INTRODUCTION: To clarify the usefulness of glucose challenge test (GCT), the rate of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) detection and perinatal outcomes were compared between the groups of random blood glucose level (RBG) and 50 g GCT in this study. METHODS: The first survey was conducted at 255 institutions registered by the Kanto Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and clinical training institutions in the Kanto Area, followed by a second survey. The included women were broadly classified into the RBG and GCT groups, according to the mid-trimester blood glucose screening method, and the perinatal outcomes of the two groups were retrospectively compared. The primary outcomes were the proportion of infants weighing 3,500 g or more and birth weight ≥90(th)-percentile infants. RESULTS: The rate of GDM diagnosis was significantly higher in the GCT group (7.6%) than that in the RBG group (4.8%). However, no significant differences were observed in perinatal outcomes, i.e., the proportion of infants weighing 3,500 g or more or birth weight ≥90(th) percentile. CONCLUSIONS: GCT is not superior for predicting infants weighing 3,500 g or more and birth weight ≥90(th) percentile, as compared with RBG.