Fructosamine and glycated haemoglobin in the assessment of long term glycaemic control in diabetes.

Fructosamine and glycated haemoglobin were measured simultaneously in 147 children with diabetes. If glycated haemoglobin is considered as the 'gold standard' for long term glycaemic control, then fructosamine is a poor indicator of actual glycated haemoglobin values, with wide 95% confidence (fiducial) limits. This shows that it is impossible to accurately predict glycated haemoglobin concentrations and therefore, by implication, longer term glycaemic control, from measurements of fructosamine. As the major studies on the prevention of microvascular complications in diabetes have used glycated haemoglobin levels to assess glycaemic control, it is suggested that this measurement should be used in all children with diabetes in preference to the measurement of fructosamine.