Serum fructosamine concentration as measure of blood glucose control in type i (Insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Serum fructosamine activity was studied in 42 patients with type I (insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus and 30 non-diabetic volunteers as an index of blood glucose control. There was a significant correlation both between fructosamine and glycosylated haemoglobin values (r=0.82) and between fructosamine and the fasting C peptide concentration (r=-0.81). Test results in 14 of the diabetics reflected the mean plasma glucose concentration calculated from 25 serial estimations in a single 24 hour period (r=0.75; p <0 01) but not the mean amplitude of glycaemic excursion (r=0.23; p>0.05). Fructosamine concentrations measured in these multiple blood specimens did not change significantly throughout the day (mean coefficient of variation 41%) despite wide variability of the respective plasma glucose concentrations (mean coefficient of variation 36.2%). It is concluded that a single random serum sample analysed for fructosamine concentration provides. © 1985, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.