Utility of glycated albumin for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in a Japanese population study: results from the Kyushu and Okinawa Population Study (KOPS)

Diabetologia. 2011 Dec;54(12):3028-36. doi: 10.1007/s00125-011-2310-6. Epub 2011 Sep 27.

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis: Glycated albumin is a measure of the mean plasma glucose concentration over approximately 2-3 weeks. We determined reference values for glycated albumin, and assessed its utility for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the general population.

Methods: We studied 1,575 men and women (mean age, 49.9 years; range, 26-78 years) who participated in a periodic health examination in a suburban Japanese town. HbA(1c) and fasting plasma concentrations of glucose (FPG) and glycated albumin were measured. Participants with FPG ≥ 7.0 mmol/l or HbA(1c) ≥ 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) were diagnosed as having diabetes. In our laboratory, the glycated albumin assay had intra-assay and inter-assay CVs of 1.1% and 1.6%, respectively.

Results: Glycated albumin levels were significantly correlated with HbA(1c) levels (r = 0.766, p < 0.001) and FPG (r = 0.706, p < 0.001). The presence of diabetes was significantly higher in participants with glycated albumin levels between 15.0% and 15.9% (five of 276, 1.81%) than in those with glycated albumin <14% (three of 672, 0.45%) (p = 0.037), and was markedly increased in those with a glycated albumin level >16% (58 of 207, 28.0%). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that a glycated albumin level of ≥15.5% was optimal for predicting diabetes, with a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 83.3%.

Conclusions/interpretation: There is merit to further investigating the potential for glycated albumin to be used as an alternative measure of dysglycaemia for future research and clinical practice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Asian People / statistics & numerical data*
  • Blood Glucose / metabolism
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / blood
  • Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / diagnosis*
  • Fasting / blood
  • Female
  • Glycated Hemoglobin / metabolism
  • Glycated Serum Albumin
  • Glycation End Products, Advanced
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • ROC Curve
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Serum Albumin / metabolism*

Substances

  • Blood Glucose
  • Glycated Hemoglobin A
  • Glycation End Products, Advanced
  • Serum Albumin
  • hemoglobin A1c protein, human
  • Glycated Serum Albumin