March 14, 2007

Commentary By: Christopher Johnson, MSIV and Glenn Matfin, MD Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Divsion of Endocrinology When was the last time you had a diabetic patient in clinic whose hemoglobin A1C was elevated, prompting you to modify their diabetic regimen? You may have scheduled a repeat hemoglobin A1C in 3 months, since you know A1C measures glycemic control over a 3 month period. A serum fructosamine may help give you a snapshot of more recent control. What is fructosamine? Fructosamine is a compound that is formed by the non-enzymatic reaction between fructose and ammonia or an amine, with a molecule of water being released. Fructosamines are also formed when the carbonyl group of glucose reacts with an amino group of a protein. When fructosamines are formed from blood proteins such as albumin, they are known as Glycated Serum Protein or Glycated Albumin. Since albumin has a much shorter half-life than hemoglobin, serum fructosamine generally reflects the state of