RESUMEN
Plasma fructosamine concentrations were measured in non-diabetic and diabetic patients with chronic renal failure divided into two three groups: patients without dialysis, under haemodialysis and under continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. In non-diabetic patients plasma fructosamine values were consistently higher than in a control population (2.26 +/- 0.26 mmol/l), being 2.38 +/- 0.35 mmol/l in patients without dialysis, 2.57 +/- 0.33 mmol/l in patients under peritoneal dialysis and 2.67 +/- 0.31 mmol/l in patients under haemodialysis. In diabetic patients, plasma fructosamine values were increased, being equal to, or higher than 3 mmol/l; these values were almost identical with those obtained in populations of diabetics without renal pathology. Considering that Hb Alc values are difficult to interpret in chronic renal failure owing to anaemia and to the analytical problems raised by haemoglobin carbamylation, the fructosamine test may well be a reliable marker for the monitoring of diabetes in patients with chronically impaired renal function.