[Glycated haemoglobin--is it its exclusive position in diabetology under threat?].

Hyperglycaemia is the common characteristic for diabetes patients. Prolonged hyperglycaemia due to absolute or relative lack of insulin is the cause of microangiopathy. Glucose reacts with both blood vessel wall proteins and plasmatic proteins and erythrocyte haemoglobin. This characteristic of glucose is used to monitor the level of diabetes compensation. The level of glycated haemoglobin reflects glycaemia for the last 2 to 3 months. It began to be used in diabetology in the 1980's. This outline paper deals with some of the pitfalls with which glycated haemoglobin has been recently associated. The first part is dedicated to factors influencing haemoglobin glycation. The second, methodological part focuses on factors influencing its assessment and interpretation. The third part concentrates on the options for the substitution ofglycated haemoglobin by other diabetes compensation markers.