Albumina glicata. Un indice di controllo glicemico da rivalutare

Albumin is a protein of considerable importance in the physiology of the body, and changes in its structure and function may have relevant pathophysio-logical implications. Glycoxidation processes lead to the formation of high levels of glycated albumin in chronic hyperglycaemia and during hyperglycaemic peaks. Therefore, glycated albumin is not only an index of diabetes control, but is also a true pathogenic factor, and in many conditions its use may be more advantageous than glycated haemoglobin. However, because of the limited specificity of the earlier techniques used to measure fructosamine (a generic term referring to all glycated serum proteins, including glycated albumin, in blood serum), and the persistence of a certain confusion between fructosamine and glycated albumin, the determination of the latter has not achieved the same success as glycated haemoglobin. Indeed, with the latest methods, measuring glycated albumin in human plasma has become sufficiently precise and accurate, and is also simple and inexpensive. The advances in recent years in the analytical procedure and the clinical application of glycated albumin will probably lead to an increasing demand in the near future, particularly in view of the growing acknowledgment of its appropriateness in the laboratory.