Evaluation of fructosamine as a parameter of blood glucose control in diabetic pregnant women

Objective: To evaluate the alternative parameters to monitor glycemia in pregnant women with diabetes studying the relationship between fructosamine testing and self monitoring of blood glucose in pregnant women with diabetes. Materials and methods: Serum fructosamine levels and the self monitoring of blood glucose over 14 days before the collection of fructosamine were evaluated in 47 diabetic pregnant women. Results: Seventy-one fructosamine levels and 2,238 glucose measurements (CGs) were analysed. Levels of fructosamine correlated with high blood glucose index (HBGI) and the standard deviation of glycemias (r = 0.28; p = 0.021 and r = 0.26; p = 0.03, respectively). The comparison between the mothers of the newborns with appropriated or large birthweight and those who gave birth to small newborns for their gestational age (SGA) showed that the latter had a lower glycemic mean (105 vs. 114 and 119 mg/dL), a higher low blood glucose index (5.8 vs. 1.3 and 0.7) and a higher percentage of hyperglycemias (11 vs. 0 and 0%) even when the fructosamine falls within the reference values (242 vs. 218 and 213 mu mol/l). Conclusion: The levels of fructosamine can be used as further parameter to aid self monitoring of blood glucose to evaluate hyperglycemias and glycemic variability, however, this can underestimate hypoglycemias in pregnant women carrying small-for-gestational age fetuses.