Screening for gestational diabetes mellitus in an indigenous Melanesian population on the islands of Vanuatu

Abstract

SummaryWe set out to estimate the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in the indigenous Melanesian population of Vanuatu by administering a 50 g oral glucose load to 120 women attending antenatal clinics at Vila Central Hospital, Efate, Vanuatu. Capillary blood glucose was measured 60 min later, and participants with a reading >7.8 mmol/l (140 mg/dl) were referred for further investigation to the local consultant obstetrician. Nine women (7.5%) had blood glucose readings of >7.8 mmol/l. Of the known risk factors for GDM, age was significantly higher in the group with abnormal 1 h readings. This screening method suggests that the incidence of GDM in the indigenous Melanesian population of Vanuatu is lower than that of Melanesians living in Western environments, although our findings may be attributable to differences in the glucose loading test used and the sampling technique.