Consultant calls for mandatory diabetes testing for pregnant women



DUBAI // All pregnant women should be screened for diabetes to protect the health of the mother and baby, doctors say.

At the Arab Health Congress’s Diabetes Conference on Tuesday, Dr Bashir Salih, an obstetrics consultant at the Corniche Hospital in Abu Dhabi, urged the Government to make the test mandatory.

“Women who come for their first antenatal visit should have to undergo a blood sugar test,” Dr Salih said.

“Many women are unaware that they have diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is widely prevalent in the UAE. It makes sense to include this.”

He said tests on pregnant women last year found 36 per cent of them had some form of diabetes, and Corniche Hospital had been screening all prospective mothers for the past two years.

“We do many programmes in schools and colleges through which we encourage girls to get tested for diabetes before they are married or while they are in school,” Dr Salih said.

“When a mother has diabetes before she is pregnant, this can lead to complications with the pregnancy as well as the baby.”

Pregnant women can suffer two types of diabetes – pre-gestational or gestational.

Gestational is when women who have not had diabetes diagnosed have high blood-glucose levels during pregnancy.

It is usually resolved when the child is born.

arizvi@thenational.ae

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

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What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix

When Saturday

Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia

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Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.

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Suggested picnic spots

Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
 
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes 

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Dos

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  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

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