Hba(1c) And Fasting Plasma Glucose Cannot Replace Oral Glucose Tolerance Test In Order To Screen For Hyperglycaemia In Pregnancy

During lockdown due to virus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (RCOG) proposed an alternative to oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to diagnose hyperglycaemia in pregnancy (HIP) to avoid a long stay in laboratory centres. The intention was not aimed at identifying an equivalent group of women as those detected by OGTT, but rather to identify pregnant women with the highest glucose levels for whom specialist management remained essential throughout the pandemic. The definition of HIP proposed by the RCOG includes fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥ 5.6 mmol/L and/or HbA1c ≥ 39 mmol/mol (5.7%) and/or random plasma glucose ≥ 9.0 mmol/L (1).