Reference Range for Glucose Screening
May 24, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Lv Aiming
Introduction
The normal reference ranges for the glucose screening test are: fasting blood glucose < 5.1 mmol/L, 1-hour postprandial glucose < 10.0 mmol/L, and 2-hour postprandial glucose < 8.5 mmol/L. Glucose screening is typically performed between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation. It is a test used to screen for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in pregnant women and serves as the gold standard for diagnosing GDM.
Glucose screening is the abbreviated term for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) screening. If initial glucose screening results indicate high risk, physicians typically recommend proceeding with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to confirm whether gestational diabetes is present. Severe abnormalities in glucose screening can pose serious threats to both maternal and fetal health and safety. So, what are the normal reference ranges for glucose screening?
Normal Reference Ranges for Glucose Screening
The normal reference ranges for glucose screening are as follows: fasting blood glucose < 5.1 mmol/L; 1-hour post-glucose load blood glucose < 10.0 mmol/L; and 2-hour post-glucose load blood glucose < 8.5 mmol/L. Glucose screening is routinely performed between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation. It serves as a key screening tool—and is considered the gold standard—for diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus. During the OGTT, if any one of the following thresholds is met or exceeded—fasting blood glucose ≥ 5.1 mmol/L, 1-hour blood glucose ≥ 10.0 mmol/L, or 2-hour blood glucose ≥ 8.5 mmol/L—the diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus is confirmed.
Screening for gestational diabetes is critically important, as abnormal maternal glucose levels can adversely affect both the mother and the fetus. First, undetected hyperglycemia increases the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension syndrome. It may also cause abnormal amniotic fluid volume, impair the intrauterine environment necessary for fetal growth and development, delay fetal pulmonary maturation in late gestation, and lead to abnormal fetal weight—resulting either in macrosomia or, conversely, in appropriate-for-gestational-age but low-birth-weight infants.
Therefore, glucose screening should be performed at the recommended time during pregnancy. If abnormal results are identified, treatment should be initiated under the guidance of a healthcare provider. We hope this information is helpful to you!
