It is important for patients to be aware that labs may use different tests for fructosamine and use different units when reporting results. Normal values may vary from lab to lab. Patients should be aware of the normal range for the lab their physician is using.

Test results should be evaluated in trends. When a patient’s amount of glycated serum protein has increased, this may mean that the average glucose (blood sugar) level has been higher over the previous two to three weeks. A trend from low levels to high amounts of glycated serum protein may indicate that the diabetes management plan has not been followed or is ineffective and requires adjustments. A physician may recommend adjustments in the exercise plan, diet or medication.

If changes are made, the patient may need to retest the glycated serum protein level again in a few weeks to monitor the effectiveness of the new treatment.

A trend from high levels to low amounts of glycated serum protein may indicate that adjustments to the patient’s diabetes management plan are effective and that glucose has been well controlled. However, low results can also indicate that a patient’s protein levels have changed. Falsely low results may be caused by a decrease in protein levels, an increase in protein loss or a change in the type of protein being produced by the body. Discrepancies between fructosamine test results and a patient’s record of self-testing results are often explained by changes in protein levels.