Fructosamine

Other names: Glycated Albumin; Glycated Serum Protein (GSP)

The fructosamine test measures glycated protein, which is formed when glucose molecules combine with certain types of proteins (including albumin and haemoglobin) in the blood; this occurs when the levels of glucose in the blood are higher than normal.

Why is the test used?

The test is primarily used to monitor blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes; the test is used regularly but the HbA1C test is a lot more common. The fructosamine test may be preferable to the HbA1C test in certain situations; these include when a diabetic woman is pregnant, when the treatment for a diabetic patient is suddenly changed and when a patient experiences red blood cell loss. The test cannot be used as a screening to test to see if a patient has diabetes.

How is the test performed?

The test is done by inserting a needle into a vein in the arm (usually on the inside of the elbow, as veins are more prominent here) and drawing out blood, which is collected in a syringe. Once the sample has been collected, the sample will be placed in a bottle, labelled and then sent away to the laboratory for analysis.

What do the test results mean?

If levels of fructosamine are elevated, this indicates that the patient’s blood glucose levels have increased over the course of the previous 2 or 3 weeks. Typically, the trend indicates that the higher the levels of fructosamine, the higher the levels of glucose. If results of the test are irregular or abnormal, further tests may be ordered and the patient’s treatment may be changed.

Specific Blood Tests



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