Fructosamine Test: Procedure, Purpose, Results, Normal range, Cost, Price, Online booking

What is Fructosamine test?

This test looks for the amount of fructosamine circulating in your bloodstream.

Fructosamine is a compound formed by the combination of sugars, commonly glucose, with the proteins (usually albumin as it is the most abundant protein in blood) in your blood. As long as the said protein would be present in your bloodstream, the sugar will remain combined to it. Since most serum proteins only have a life of 2-3 weeks, that is how long fructosamine stays in your circulation. The levels of fructosamine in your bloodstream hence correspond to changes your blood sugar levels over 2 to 3 weeks.

This test is used for monitoring blood sugar levels in diabetic people and to modify the dose of anti-diabetic medicines in such people.

Normally, Glycosylated or glycated haemoglobin or HbA1C test is used to check blood sugar levels. Glycosylated or glycated haemoglobin test measures the blood sugar that binds with haemoglobin, a protein attached to the iron component inside the red blood cells. However, this test gives average blood sugar levels for over the past 2 - 3 months (the life span of RBCs). Also, HbA1C cannot be done in individuals who have a variant of haemoglobin such as hemoglobin S in sickle cell disease, in those who have alterations in their red blood cell lifespan or whose red blood cells die before their normal life span of 120 days.

A fructosamine test thus helps in assessing the more recent status of the blood sugar in diabetic people.

Fructosamine test is also useful in other conditions where the HbA1C test is not suitable, such as chronic renal disease and anaemia caused due to deficiency of vitamin B12 or iron deficiency.

Additionally, studies show that HbA1C is high in certain groups of people in Africa and America, irrespective of the glucose levels in their blood, which leads to errors in the HbA1C results.

Research studies also show that HbA1C fluctuates commonly during pregnancy due to a reduction in blood sugar level and iron deficiency anemia. As fructosamine levels do not depend on the structure of haemoglobin or red blood cells in the blood, fructosamine test helps monitor blood sugar level in pregnant women and aids in the management of diabetes during pregnancy.

Why is a Fructosamine test performed?
How do you prepare for a Fructosamine test?
How is a Fructosamine test performed?
Fructosamine test results and normal range

Why is a Fructosamine test performed?

Doctors order a fructosamine test to monitor diabetes in the following conditions:

Diabetes mellitus induced during pregnancy or gestational diabetes, in which, short term changes in blood sugar level has to be noted.
Diabetes associated with diseases like sickle cell anaemia or thalassaemia.
Diabetes associated with anaemia due to iron or vitamin B12 deficiency.
Uncontrolled or poorly controlled diabetes mellitus, in which the person’s blood sugar levels fluctuate every day.
To differentiate high blood sugar in persons who are not suffering from diabetes (may occur after acute stress such as heart attack or mental stress) and those who have chronic diabetes.
Diabetes associated with chronic kidney failure; retinopathy or complications in the retina (a membrane that lines the back of eyes); and disorders related to the heart and blood vessels.

How do you prepare for a Fructosamine test?

You don’t have to fast before going for a fructosamine test. Avoid vitamin C supplements for at least 24 hours before the test as vitamin C interferes with the test results.

How is a Fructosamine test performed?

This test is usually done on a blood sample. A laboratory technician will withdraw a few millilitres of blood from a vein in your arm.

You may experience some discomfort or bruising at the needle insertion site - it will go away in a short while.

Fructosamine test results and normal range

Normal results:

The reference range for fructosamine is 170-285 micromoles per litre (μmol/L) in non-diabetic individuals.

Abnormal results:

Fructosamine values two to five times the upper limit of the normal reference range are associated with diabetes mellitus. Fluctuation in the levels of serum proteins (albumin and immunoglobulins) may affect the results of the fructosamine test.

Higher-than-normal values of fructosamine indicate the following:

Poorly controlled blood sugar over the last two to three weeks.
Increased blood sugar due to acute stress, corticosteroids, and Cushing’s syndrome, in those not suffering from diabetes
Pregnancy-induced diabetes in pregnant women

Low values of fructosamine may be associated with decreased albumin levels. This occurs in conditions such as cirrhosis of the liver, diseases related to the thyroid gland or intestinal disorders such as Crohn’s or coeliac disease in which proteins are lost from the body.

Disclaimer: All results must be clinically correlated with the patient’s complaints to make a complete and accurate diagnosis. The above information is provided from a purely educational point of view and is in no way a substitute for medical advice by a qualified doctor.