Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals urges insulin pump therapy for safer management of diabetes during pregnancy

Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals organised a news conference at the hospital premises to highlight the management of diabetes and its complications during pregnancy. If women with diabetes are pregnant or women develop diabetes during pregnancy, it is considered a high-risk pregnancy. Insulin resistance increases in pregnancy and leads to an elevation in blood sugar levels in patients with pre-existing diabetes and also predisposes a person to gestational diabetes, creating greater risk to life during pregnancy.

Dr SK Wangnoo, Senior Consultant Endocrinologist and Diabetologist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said, “Women with diabetes who are planning pregnancy should be informed that establishing good blood sugar control before conception and continuing this throughout pregnancy will reduce the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, malformation in the baby and neonatal death. It is important to emphasize that risks can be reduced but not eliminated.”

Dr Wangnoo further added, “The state of hyperglycaemia during pregnancy is transient, usually reverting after delivery. The increased requirement of insulin can be conveniently handled with the insulin pump as it minimises glycaemic fluctuations. As a result, it has brought convenience to patients and helped in reducing the number of pricks or abortions during pregnancy.”

In the last six months, a pilot project at Apollo Hospitals has already treated many diabetic patients with good maternal and foetal outcomes via the help of insulin pump therapy. Considering its high cost and the fact that the pump is usually required only transiently during pregnancy till delivery, patients can be provided with the insulin pump on a reasonable rental as well for the use in pregnancy.

Latest new pumps used at Apollo Hospitals provide continuous insulin delivery and also display blood sugar levels every five minutes. The news conference also highlighted that good communication between healthcare professionals and pregnant women is crucial. The event was followed by a felicitation ceremony of children afflicted with diabetes.

EH News Bureau