[Significance of serum fructosamine in the metabolic control of children and adolescents with type I diabetes mellitus].

In 1982 Johnson et al. described a simple colorimetric assay for measuring glycated proteins, termed fructosamine, in the serum of adults with diabetes mellitus and demonstrated this to be a useful index of intermediate glucose control (1-3 weeks). Our study was designed to show this as well in children and adolescents with type I diabetes mellitus. Serum fructosamine was determined in 76 children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus, and 111 age-matched controls. In the controls an age-dependency but not sex-dependency could be demonstrated. In the diabetic patients we found a significant correlation between serum fructosamine and HbA1 values (r = 0.87, p less than 0.001). In 6 patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus serum fructosamine concentrations decreased at a faster rate than HbA1 values. The fructosamine assay is rapid, technically simple and inexpensive, and is at least a useful addition or perhaps an alternative to HbA1 estimation.