Comment on: American Diabetes Association. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2011. Diabetes Care 2011;34(Suppl. 1):S11–S61

How to screen and treat gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has always been controversial for clinicians and decision makers. The problem is complex, and the evidence is limited. The new standards set by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in 2011 (1) recommend 1 ) universal screening at 24–28 weeks of gestation (2010 ADA standards recommended selective screening based on risk factors) and 2 ) an oral glucose tolerance test with a diagnostic fasting plasma glucose of ≥92 mg/dL (4.5 mmol/L) (much lower than the World Health Organization [WHO] criteria of ≥126 mg/dL [7.0 mmol/L] commonly used in clinical practice in Europe). Furthermore, diabetes is diagnosed when only one abnormal value is detected (whereas…