Screening for gestational diabetes in pregnancy in Northwestern Ontario.

INTRODUCTION: We estimate the screening and prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a primarily first nations obstetrical population in Northwestern Ontario. METHODS: The study is an 8-year retrospective analysis of all gestational glucose challenge and tolerance tests performed at the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre (SLMHC) laboratory from 1 January, 2010 to 31 December, 2017. Test, gestational timing and completion rate of screening were recorded, and GDM prevalence was calculated on the tested population. Screening completion rates were recorded for the subset of women who delivered at SLMHC from 2014 to 2017. RESULTS: The average annual GDM prevalence was 12%, double the Ontario rate. Over the 8-year period, 513 patients were diagnosed with GDM among the 4298 patients screened. Patients were screened with the 2-step (90%) or the 1-step (10%) protocol. Screening occurred <20 weeks in 3%; 54% occurred in <28 weeks and 40% >28 weeks. Seventy percent of the tests were from remote nursing stations. The screening completion rate for women delivering at SLMHC in 2017 was 80.8%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of GDM in Northwestern Ontario is twice the provincial rate. Most screening used the 2-step protocol; early screening was underused. Improvements in screening programming are underway and future research may match surveillance rates and results to GDM outcomes.

Résumé Introduction: Nous estimons le dépistage et la prévalence du diabète gestationnel au sein d'une population obstétrique composée principalement de femmes des Premières Nations du Nord-Ouest de l'Ontario. Méthodologie: Il s'agissait d'une analyse rétrospective de 8 ans de toutes les épreuves d'hyperglycémie gestationnelle provoquée et de tous les tests de tolérance au glucose effectués au laboratoire Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre (SLMHC) entre le 1er janvier 2010 et le 31 décembre 2017. Le nombre de tests, le moment de la grossesse et le taux d'achèvement des tests de dépistage ont été consignés, et la prévalence du diabète gestationnel a été calculée dans la population testée. Le taux d'achèvement des tests de dépistage du sous-groupe de femmes ayant accouché au SLMHC entre 2014 et 2017 a aussi été consigné. Résultats: La prévalence annuelle moyenne de diabète gestationnel était de 12 %, soit le double de celle de l'Ontario. Durant les 8 ans qu'a duré l'étude, 513 patientes ont reçu un diagnostic de diabète gestationnel parmi les 4298 patientes soumises au dépistage. Le protocole à 2 étapes ou à 1 étape a servi au dépistage chez les patientes, à raison de respectivement 90 et 10 %. Le dépistage a eu lieu à < 20 semaines chez 3 %; à < 28 semaines chez 54 % et à > 28 semaines chez 40 % des patientes. Soixante-dix pour cent des tests ont été effectués dans des postes éloignés de soins infirmiers. Le taux d'achèvement du dépistage chez les femmes ayant accouché au SLMHC en 2017 était de 80,8 %. Conclusion: La prévalence de diabète gestationnel dans le Nord-Ouest de l'Ontario est le double du taux provincial. La plupart des tests effectués ont eu recours au protocole à 2 étapes; le dépistage précoce était sous-utilisé. L'on tente actuellement d'améliorer les programmes de dépistage, et de plus amples recherches pourraient documenter le taux de surveillance et approfondir notre compréhension des issues liées au diabète gestationnel.

Narcotic-exposed neonates in a First Nations population in northwestern Ontario: incidence and implications.

OBJECTIVE: To document the incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and the rate of narcotic use during pregnancy in northwestern Ontario, where narcotic abuse is a growing social and medical problem. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: The Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre catchment area in northwestern Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: Mothers and neonates for the 482 live births that took place in the 18-month study period (January 2009 to June 2010). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Maternal drug use and neonatal outcomes were documented. RESULTS: The incidence of narcotic (oxycodone) abuse during pregnancy increased from a low of 8.4% at the beginning of the study period to a high of 17.2% by mid-2010. Narcotic-using mothers were more likely to also use nicotine and alcohol, to have premature deliveries, and to be episodic users. Narcotic-exposed neonates experienced NAS 29.5% of the time; daily maternal use was associated with a higher rate of NAS (66.0%). While all infants roomed in with their mothers, exposed infants were more likely to require transfer to a tertiary care nursery. Infants with severe NAS were treated with oral morphine and had significantly longer hospital stays compared with the entire cohort (4.5 vs 1.5 days, P = .004). Narcotic abuse during pregnancy in our region is not currently associated with increased rates of HIV or hepatitis C infection, as intravenous route of administration is less common at present than intranasal and oral ingestion. CONCLUSION: Narcotic abuse during pregnancy is a considerable problem in First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario. Community-based initiatives need to be developed to address this issue, and medical and nursing staff need to develop surveillance, assessment, and therapeutic responses. Passive neonatal addiction and withdrawal result from maternal narcotic use during pregnancy. Rates of opioid use among pregnant Canadian women are unknown.