Reimbursement for blood glucose meters for Pregnant women is required
Gestational diabetes is one of the most common complications of pregnancy. The disease can affect have impact on the later life of both mother and child. Essential for the therapy for the regular Review of maternal blood glucose values. However, the patients ‘ blood sugar measuring devices to get not only your funds refunded. That should change, ask health experts.
Health risks for child and mother
Diabetes is one of the most common comorbidities in pregnancy. Not, or insufficiently treated, the so-called gestational diabetes (GDM) represents both the expectant mother and the unborn child at increased health risk. Essential for the therapy for the regular Review of maternal blood glucose values. However, the patients blood sugar measurement devices do not get reimbursed still from their health insurance companies. Health experts therefore call, once again, that the cost of this will be taken.
Regular Checking of blood sugar values
Every year, developing over 40,000 Pregnant women with a Diabetes mellitus.
In gestational diabetes the blood sugar of the mother is either constantly, or only an unusually long time after the meals increases. The high amount of sugar goes directly to the Baby, which will überernährt.
It often grows too fast and its metabolism is already before the birth on the constant carbohydrate Glut.
As a result, the development of the heart and lungs of the child may be affected.
For the mother, pregnancy diabetes is a risk.
Funds should make blood glucose measurement devices subject to reimbursement
“Patients with gestational diabetes are a very sensitive patient clientele,” explains the President of the German Diabetes society (DDG), Professor Dr. med. Dirk Müller-Wieland, in a statement.
“Optimal blood glucose control of the mother only the health of the unborn child does not depend on”, said the expert.
“Also the possibility of serious pregnancy and birth complications, as well as a later type 2 Diabetes in the mother can develop from poor blood sugar control.”
The DDG calls on the Shi head Association, therefore, once again, to make blood glucose monitoring devices for patients with GDM, subject to reimbursement, so that each person can your blood sugar metabolism regularly without cost-sharing to control.
This also provides the guideline to GDM, which has updated the DDG together with the German society for gynecology and obstetrics (DGGG) this year.
With a life style change to normalize the metabolism
Last year, the DDG suggested that blood glucose meters for Pregnant women with GDM in the resource catalog (product group 21) of the GKV umbrella organisation – regardless of whether or not the GDM is treated with Insulin or not.
“Neither from a medical nor from a health economic point of view, it is clear that blood glucose measuring devices in the case of GDM will continue to be reimbursed”, says Müller-Wieland. “We see here a clear hazard potential for affected mothers and their children.”
The guidelines on fair treatment, provides for, first of all, to normalize a lifestyle change in the metabolism.
“Meals and physical activity according to the metabolic needs, you should check the expectant mother’s blood sugar levels using a blood sugar meter regularly”, emphasized Professor Dr. med. Baptist Gallwitz, media spokesperson of the DDG.
“This is the basic requirement, in order to detect a deterioration of the values and necessary insulin therapy in a timely manner.” This is an internationally fixed Standard.
In some cases, Pregnant women Insulin injections
In about 80 percent of the cases with good metabolic control and improved Lifestyle with a healthy diet and sufficient exercise to avoid insulin therapy in pregnancy.
“It is, therefore, by the GKV spitzenverband simply negligent, to deny this group of patients, the basic requirement for a healthy and complication-free pregnancy”, criticized Gallwitz.
It is only when life style measures are no longer sufficient to prevent increased blood sugar levels need to inject Pregnant women with Insulin.
The indication for Insulin is derived from the self-measured and recorded values of the pregnant women. Without self-measurements necessary insulin can be overlooked treatments.
Increased risk of type 2 Diabetes and Obesity
Patients with gestational diabetes and their unborn children threaten during, but also after pregnancy enormous health risks.
So women have diseases with GDM have an increased risk for hypertension, Edema, kidney disease, depression during and after pregnancy, cardiovascular and chronic urinary tract infections.
Finally, the risk for re-gestational diabetes in subsequent pregnancies and type 2 Diabetes within the next ten years.
For the child the following health risks: premature birth with transfer to the children’s hospital, a greatly increased birth weight, often has a caesarean section or birth injuries of mother and child, vaginal birth, and finally, an increased risk of type 2 Diabetes and Obesity.
“Through resulting in serious complications and possible consequential damage in the case of the mother and her child, the health system is burdened by far more than a refund of the measuring device with corresponding test strips,” adds Müller-Wieland.
Number of women with gestational diabetes is greatly increased
In the past 15 years, the number of women has increased in Germany with gestational diabetes, from about 1.5 to about 5.4 percent of all pregnancies.
This investigation, which picks up the updated DDG-guideline related to GDM.
“The reason for these increased Numbers, improved diagnosis is, on the one hand,” explains Müller-Wieland development. “On the other hand, the number of patients at Risk is increasing significantly: High age and Obesity promote increased blood sugar levels, the mother-to-be.”
Other risk factors are diseases, familial Diabetes, and a previous pregnancy with GDM. Recent studies also show that Vitamin-D deficiency, and sleep apnea Pregnant can increase the risk also gestational diabetes increasingly occurs in women that a male child can expect.