What is the relationship between blood glucose and fructosamine?
The medical examination report includes both blood glucose and fructosamine levels. What's the relationship between these two? Does elevated fructosamine indicate poor blood glucose control? Which indicator is more accurate to refer to?
Doctor's answer (1)
The relationship between blood glucose and fructosamine is primarily reflected in the monitoring of diabetes control, with a close association existing between the two.
Blood glucose serves as an immediate indicator of glucose concentration in the blood, whereas fructosamine is a biomarker reflecting the average blood glucose levels over the past 2-3 weeks. When blood glucose remains consistently elevated, excess glucose undergoes non-enzymatic binding with proteins such as hemoglobin and albumin, forming fructosamine. The concentration of fructosamine is positively correlated with blood glucose levels.
This characteristic makes fructosamine a good indicator for evaluating diabetes control, especially in patients with significant blood glucose fluctuations, such as those with brittle diabetes or gestational diabetes. Additionally, the normal reference range for fructosamine is 1.5 to 2.4 mmol/L. Although its measurement is not affected by individual meals, it cannot be directly used to guide daily insulin or oral hypoglycemic drug dosages.
In clinical practice, combining blood glucose and fructosamine test results allows for a more comprehensive assessment of a patient's diabetes management status and provides guidance for adjusting treatment plans.
