[Evaluation of correlation between fructosamine and glycated hemoglobin]

Fructosamine or glycated plasma proteins are used to assess the short term diabetes control. Fructosamine concentration dependends on blood glucose level, protein concentration and half-life of proteins. Some have reported that measuring fructosamine without considering protein concentration is of no value. To investigate the relation between fructosamine, albumin and total protein and also the effect of fructosamine correction on capacity of this assay to assess the glycemic condition. Fifty diabetic patients from diabetes center in Yazd [Iran] were selected. The levels of fructosmine, albumin and total protein were determined once a month for a duration of two months followed by measurement of glycated hemoglobin after two months. Fructosamine and glycated hemoglobin were measured by colorometric method based on nitro blue tetrazulium and ion exchange chromatography method, respectively. The correlation between glycated hemoglobin and fructosamine, fructosamine corrected with albumin and total protein were 0.941, 0.908 and 0.9 [P<0.001]. No correlation was found between fructosamine, albumin, and total protein. Mean of albumin and total proteins were 4.3 and 6.3 g/dl. Regarding our data, fructosamine correlation at normal range of albumin and total protein did not affect fructosamine capacity in assessing diabetes control and under such condition albumin and total protein showed no effect on fructosamine concentration

[Comparison of fructosamine test with glycated hemoglobin in assessing diabetes]

Optimal glycemic control is generally believed to be essential in patients with diabetes to minimize the long term complications associated with the disease. Measuring the level of glycated hemoglobin is usually performed to assess long term control while evaluation of short term control is achieved by determining the levels of plasma proteins or fructosamine. Regarding the shorter half life of plasma proteins, it is believed that fructosamine test is more sensitive in responding to variations in glycemic condition. To compare fructosamine and glycated hemoglobin tests in assessing glycemic control. This method evaluation study carried out in Yazd center for diabetes in 2003. The study group consisted of 50 diabetic patients who were tested for plasma fructosmine and glycatd hemoglobim levels during two months. Two measurements for fructosamine level [once each month] and one assay for glycatd hemoglobim level [at the end of two months] were performed. Ion exchange chromatography and chlorometric method based on nitro blue tetrazulium reduction were used to measure glycated hemoglobin and fructosamine, respectively. The results were indicative of a highly significant correlation between fructosamine and glycated hemoglobin [r=0.94 p<0.001]. Variation coeifficent among series and days of fructosamine measurement were 2.7 and 5.1 with recovery rate of 96.8%. Based on data found in our study and also in view of lower price, easy performance, high accuracy and precision, it seems that fructosanine to have a high capacity in assessing diabetes control