Comparison of HbA1 and Fructosamine in Diagnosis of Glucose-Tolerance Abnormalities

Pierre Jean Guillausseau; Marie-Aline Charles; Françoise Paolaggi; José Timsit; Philippe Chanson; Jacqueline Peynet; Valérie Godard; Eveline Eschwege; François Rousselet; Jean Lubetzki

doi:10.2337/diacare.13.8.898

Short Reports

Comparison of HbA₁ and Fructosamine in Diagnosis of Glucose-Tolerance Abnormalities

Pierre Jean Guillausseau, MD,
Marie-Aline Charles, MD,
Françoise Paolaggi, DPharm,
José Timsit, MD,
Philippe Chanson, MD,
Jacqueline Peynet, DPharm,
Valérie Godard, DPharm,
Eveline Eschwege, MD,
François Rousselet, DPharm and
Jean Lubetzki, MD

Departments of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry, Lariboisière Hospital Paris; and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) Unit 21, 94807 Villejuif, France

Address correspondence and reprint requests to P.J. Guillausseau, MD, Lariboisière Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, 2 Rue Ambroise Pare, 75475 Paris Cedex 10, France.

Diabetes Care 1990 Aug; 13(8): 898-900. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.13.8.898

Abstract

Total glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA₁) and fructosamine were evaluated as screening tools for detection of glucose-tolerance abnormalities in 144 asymptomatic subjects undergoing a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. Subjects were classified according to World Health Organization criteria as having normal (n = 78), impaired (n = 40), or diabetic (n = 26) glucose tolerance. We found good specificity for HbA₁ and fructosamine (100 and 97%, respectively) but low sensitivity (15 and 19%, respectively). At the intersection of the curves of sensitivity and specificity drawn from various thresholds of normality, both sensitivity and specificity were 75% for HbA₁ and 55% for fructosamine. Thus, neither HbA₁ nor fructosamine seems to be suitable for the diagnosis of mild abnormalities in glucose tolerance.