FRUCTOSAMINE CONCENTRATIONS IN HYPERGLYCEMIC CATS

The aims of this study were 1) to establish a reference range for fruc tosamine in cats using a commercial fructosamine kit; 2) to demonstrat e that the fructosamine concentration is not increased by transient hy perglycemia of 90 min duration, simulating hyperglycemia of acute stre ss; and 3) to determine what percentage of blood samples submitted to a commercial laboratory from 95 sick cats had evidence of persistent h yperglycemia based on an elevated fructosamine concentration. Referenc e intervals for the serum fructosamine concentration were established in healthy, normoglycemic cats using a second generation kit designed for the measurement of the fructosamine concentration in humans. Trans ient hyperglycemia of 90 min duration was induced by IV glucose inject ion in healthy cats. Multisourced blood samples that were submitted to a commercial veterinary laboratory either as fluoride oxalated plasma or serum were used to determine the percentage of hyperglycemic cats having persistent hyperglycemia. The reference interval for the serum fructosamine concentration was 249 to 406 mu mol/L. Transient hypergly cemia of 90 min duration did not increase the fructosamine concentrati on and there was no correlation between fructosamine and blood glucose . In contrast, the fructosamine concentration was correlated with the glucose concentration in sick hyper- and normoglycemic cats. It is con cluded that the fructosamine concentration is a useful marker for the detection of persistent hyperglycemia and its differentiation from tra nsient stress hyperglycemia. Fructosamine determinations should be con sidered when blood glucose is 12 to 20 mmol/L and only a single blood sample is available for analysis.