The fructosamine test is a measurement of glycated protein, mainly albumin (the main protein in the blood). When glucose levels in the blood are elevated over a period of time, glucose molecules permanently combine with proteins in the blood in a process called glycation. Affected proteins include albumin, haemoglobin (the protein found inside red blood cells (RBCs)) and other serum proteins. The more glucose that is present in…The fructosamine test is a measurement of glycated protein, mainly albumin (the main protein in the blood). When glucose levels in the blood are elevated over a period of time, glucose molecules permanently combine with proteins in the blood in a process called glycation. Affected proteins include albumin, haemoglobin (the protein found inside red blood cells (RBCs)) and other serum proteins. The more glucose that is present in the blood, the greater the amount of glycated protein and haemoglobin formed. These combined molecules persist for the life of the protein or RBC and provide a record of the average amount of glucose that has been present in the blood over that time period. RBCs live for about 120 days with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) representing average blood glucose levels over the past 2 to 3 months with the most recent glucose levels having the largest effect on the average value (HbA1c). Serum proteins have a shorter lifespan, about 14 to 21 days, so glycated proteins, and the fructosamine test, reflect average glucose levels over a 2 to 3 week time period. Keeping blood glucose levels as close as possible to normal helps patients with diabetes to avoid many of the complications and progressive damage associated with elevated glucose levels such as eye disease, kidney disease or nerve damage. The effectiveness of the treatment is monitored using HbA1c or occasionally, a fructosamine test. See MoreSee Less
