[A multi-center clinical study of the reference value of serum glycated albumin]

To set up the reference value of serum glycated albumin (GA) in Chinese for using in clinical practice through a multi-center clinical trial.

Three hundred and eighty individuals with normal weight and normal glucose regulation, including 183 males and 197 females ranging from 20 to 69 years, were recruited from 10 hospitals in China Serum GA levels were measured with liquid enzymatic method.

(1) The GA level of the 380 subjects was (14.5 +/- 1.9)%. When dividing these subjects by age into 3 subgroups, there was no difference in the GA levels among the 3 subgroups (P > 0.05). Compared with the women, the men had higher GA level in the first subgroup aging from 20 to 39 (P = 0.028). However, no significant difference was detected after adjusting with BMI as confounder. (2) When dividing those subjects by BMI into 3 subgroups, with BMI ranging from 18.5-20.9 kg/m2 21.0-22.9 kg/m2 and 23.0-24.9 kg/m2 respectively, we came to the following results: for men, there was no difference in the GA levels among the 3 subgroups (P > 0.05), but for women, the GA level of the first subgroup was higher than that of the second subgroup (P = 0.024). (3) The level of GA in the 2.5th to 97.5th percentile was 10.8%-17.1%. (4) Sixty normal subjects were chosen to repeat evaluation of GA levels after 2-3 weeks and the GA levels were of no difference (P > 0.05).

The normal range of serum GA for the Chinese population could be suggested at 11%-17%.