Rapid and inexpensive microdetermination of serum fructosamine results in diabetics, uraemics, diabetics with uraemia and healthy subjects

Abstract

This paper describes a simple, reliable and inexpensive method for rapid determination of serum fructosamine. The assay is based on commercially available reagents and utilizes equipment accessible in most laboratories (i.e. an automated ELISA-reader interfaced with an IBM computer). In contrast to HbA_lc determination, the fructosamine method presented can be used in diabetes complicated by uraemia. In the clinically relevant measuring range, fructosamine is uninfluenced by serum albumin concentration in diabetics with or without uraemia. Eighty microlitres of non-haemolysed capillary serum suffices for a duplicate determination. One year's storage of normal serum induced no change in serum fructosamine estimates. s-Fructosamine in 18 healthy subjects was 2.1 ±0.3 mmol/1 (mean±SD) in venous blood and 2.2±0.4 mmol/1 in capillary blood. In diabetics 3.4±0.6 mmol/l and 3.3±0.6 mmol/l (n=38) were found. The method is well-suited for routine use in the diabetic out-patient clinic.

Key Words:

• assay
• diabetes
• fructosamine
• glycaemic control
• uraemia