Measurement of glycated hemoglobin and glycated albumin in umbilical cord: Evaluation of the glycemic control indicators in neonates

Objective: As neonatal blood contains a high proportion of fetal hemoglobin (HbF), it is difficult to use high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, latex-immunoturbidimetry (LA) method and enzymatic methods, which determine hemoglobin A 1C (HbA 1C) in order to provide the glycemic control indicators of neonates. In this study, we evaluated glycated hemoglobin (GHb) and glycated albumin (GA) as appropriate indicators of the glycemic control in the neonatal period. Study Design: Umbilical cord blood samples collected during delivery were subjected to measurements of GHb (HPLC methods using two different instruments, LA method, enzymatic method and affinity method) and serum GA. Result: HbA 1C levels determined by the HPLC method, the LA method and the enzymatic method were as low as <3.0% in all the cases. Although GHb determined by the affinity method was 3.6 ± 0.2%, this method may not measure accurately the values of glycated HbF plus glycated HbA. Serum GA was 9.4 ± 1.1%. Conclusion: We speculate that serum GA, but not GHb, could be used as glycemic control indicators in neonates.