To investigate the correlation between fructosamine (FA) and postprandial hyperglycemia and glycemic variability.

Clinical data of 30 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients (the patient group) treated in the Endocrinology Department and 30 healthy subjects (the control group) undergoing physical examination in the Outpatient Clinic of the Second People’s Hospital of Liaocheng from June 2012 to June 2014 were retrospectively studied. The informed consents of all the subjects were obtained and the local ethical committee approval had been received. In the patient group, 14 were males and 16 were females with an average age of (55±9) years old; and in the control group, 13 were males and 17 were females with an average age of (56±10) years old. The indexes of glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), FA, serum creatinine and serum albumin in the fasting state and urinary albumin excretion rate were compared between the two groups. In the meanwhile, the indexes of postprandial blood glucose, mean postprandial maximum glucose (MPMG), standard deviation of blood glucose (SDBG), area under the curve of level above 10 mmol/L (AUC-10) and mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE) showed by arterial glucometer were also compared. The comparisons between the two groups were conducted using t test or χ² test, and the correlation analyses between FA and 24-hour average blood glucose, SDBG, MPMG, AUC-10 and MAGE were conducted using Pearson Correlation Analysis.

The levels of FA, SDBG, MPMG and MAGE in the patient group were (3.1±1.2) (1.8±0.6) (10.4±1.4) and (4.2±1.5) mmol/L respectively, which were significantly higher than (2.2±0.5) (1.2±0.3) (7.4±1.2) and (3.1±1.4) mmol/L of those subjects in the control group (P<0.05). FA and HbA1c of subjects in the control group were positively correlated with the 24-hour average blood glucose, SDBG, MPMG, AUC-10 and MAGE (P<0.05). FA of the subjects in the patient group was positively correlated with the 24-hour average blood glucose, MPMG, AUC-10 and MAGE (P<0.05), but HbA1c was only positively correlated with the 24-hour average blood glucose (P<0.05).

For T2DM patients with HbA1c at the normal level, FA is positively correlated with the indexes reflecting postprandial hyperglycemia and glycemic variability, so it is an efficient feature to predict postprandial hyperglycemia and glycemic variability.

Diabetes mellitus, Type 2; Fructosamine; Glycemic variability; Postprandial hyperglycemia