[A clinical assessment of a colorimetric method for the determination of glycosylated hemoglobin--the diabetes test].

135 patients with diabetes mellitus were studied for the level of glycated hemoglobin (GH) with the aid of the colorimetric method diabetes test involving the use of 0.3 N oxaloacetic acid, 0.06 M thiobarbituric acid, colorimetry on the spectrophotometer with the wavelength of 443 nm. No correlation was established or only weak relationship between the level of GH and chief clinical manifestations of diabetes mellitus, such as indices for metabolism, clinical presentation of the illness, degree of microangiopathy. There was no correlation between the above method and isoelectrofocusing in capillaries. Little value can be attached to GH level in controlling diabetes mellitus.