[Glycosylated hemoglobin in the cat: affinity chromatography determination in healty, permanent diabetes mellitus and transient hyperglycemic cats].

The affinity method has proved to be the first technique that succeeded in measuring feline GHb as it is not affected by structural differences of haemoglobin as traditional proceedings are. By its help the reference interval for feline GHb was established from blood samples of 62 healthy cats. It ranged between 0.31 to 1.58% with a median of 0.92%. 21 newly diagnosed diabetic cats were reliably determined to be diabetic, because the GHb exceeded significantly the upper limit of the reference interval of 1.30%. The statistical difference between diabetic and healthy cats was highly significant (p < 0.00001). It was confirmed that the GHb value helps to distinguish diabetic from transient hyperglycemic cats. Newly presented hyperglycemic cats suffer from diabetes mellitus, if their GHb values are increased (p < 0.00001).