Diabetes mellitus is a disease associated with poor glycemic control. In a diabetic patient whose blood glucose levels are abnormally elevated, the concentration of fructosamine also increases as fructosamine is formed by a nonenzymatic reaction between glucose and amino acid residues of proteins.
Fructosamine has been identified as an earlier indicator of diabetic control compared to other markers such as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Red blood cells live for approximately 120 days, so HbA1c testing represents the average blood glucose levels for the previous 2 to 3 months. By contrast, fructosamine has a shorter lifespan—about 14 to 21 days—so fructosamine testing reflects average blood glucose levels from the previous 2 to 3 weeks.
Unlike conventional methods of measuring fructosamine levels using nitroblue tetrazolium, which can be time-consuming and difficult to automate, the Randox enzymatic method offers improved specificity and reliability, and does not suffer from nonspecific interferences. Other features include:
- Stability of 28 days when stored at +10 °C onboard the analyzer.
- Liquid ready-to-use format for convenience and ease of use.
- Measuring range of 8.12–1803 µmol/L for the detection of clinically important results.
Instructions detail instrument-specific settings for use of the Randox fructosamine assay on a wide range of clinical chemistry analyzers. Standardization of the Randox fructosamine calibrator and control are assigned relative to human serum glycated with 14C-glucose, directly reflecting the nature of the patient sample.
For further information, visit Randox.
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