government
Gestational diabetes targeted by new bill
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 31, 2010
Reps. Eliot Engel (D, N.Y.) and Michael Burgess, MD (R, Texas) have introduced legislation that seeks to lower the incidence of gestational diabetes and prevent affected women and their children from developing type 2 diabetes.
According to the American Diabetes Assn., gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women, for 135,000 cases each year.
The bill, introduced May 20, would create a research advisory committee, headed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It would standardize procedures to collect gestational diabetes data to improve monitoring and prevention. The legislation also would provide grants to organizations to expand community-based activities and train physicians and other medical workers in treating the condition.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/05/31/gvbf0531.htm.
