Search

Diet is the first line and the main therapeutic strategy in the treatment of gestational diabetes (GDM) with the primary objective to achieve normal blood glucose levels while promoting adequate maternal weight gain and fetal growth. In the L diet, glycemic index and fiber content were <=50 and >=35 g daily, respectively, while in the M diet they were >50 and <35 g daily. Only four patients (1 in the L diet group, 3 in M diet group) have disregarded the nutritional prescription thus necessitating insulin therapy. [Extracted from the article]

Aims: To describe the degree of diffusion and acceptance of national guideline on screening and diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GDM) among Italian diabetes centers and to detect possible areas for benchmarking.Methods: In 2013 the Italian Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group structured a national survey, focused on GDM screening and diagnostic procedures, that was administered to diabetologists.Results: Overall, 122 diabetologists of 122 different diabetes centers (21.7% territorial, 78.3% hospital/University) completed the questionnaire. All respondents declared to execute a 75 g-oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) as diagnostic test. Almost one in five centers preferred a universal screening procedure, the others executing a selective risk factors-based screening. In patients at high risk for GDM the OGTT was performed at 16-18 weeks' gestation in 84.0% of the cases; only 6.5% of respondents preferred to execute it as soon as possible; and 9.5% used to wait until 24-28 weeks' gestation. In the case of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥ 5.1 mmol/l (92 mg/dl), two third of respondents used to proceed with the execution of the complete diagnostic OGTT, the others considering sufficient the FPG value for the diagnosis.Conclusions: Good level of reception of national recommendations was documented. The diagnostic procedure was generally accepted and applied. Some criticisms were specifically linked to the choice of universal or risk factor-based screening procedure, and to the right time for executing the OGTT in women at high risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps) have been recently introduced as an easily accessible tool for providing information to pregnant women with diabetes. Despite the growing number of apps on the topic "diabetes & pregnancy", a smartphone app offering comprehensive and individualized information to both women (before and during gestation) and their healthcare professionals was still missing. To overcome this lack, the Italian Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group conceived and realized in 2016 a novel mobile app called "MySweetGestation". It is designed to be an interactive educational tool for both patients and physicians not expert in the field. Through an interactive way of learning, it provides validated information to the user, focusing on different area of interest: from prevention and risk factors for developing diabetes during pregnancy to treatment and follow-up strategies after gestation. Three years since its publication, MySweetGestation has been downloaded in different western and eastern countries worldwide, suggesting a widespread social impact. Easily accessible personalized information made available via mHealth technology may be of great importance to spread controlled information among the pregnant population. MySweetGestation, being an interactive educational device for both patients and healthcare professionals, may contribute to improve the management of pregnant women with diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]