Correlation of glycated albumin but not hemoglobin A(1c) with endogenous insulin secretion in fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus

Aims/Introduction: Fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus (FT1DM) develops as a result of very rapid and almost complete pancreatic β‐cell destruction. We hypothesized that in patients with FT1DM who have less endogenous insulin secretion, disease progression is more rapid, and thus glycated albumin (GA) levels are lower. This study was designed to prove this hypothesis. Materials and Methods: The present study included 42 patients with FT1DM (24 men, 18 women) in whom glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)), GA and daily urinary C‐peptide (CPR) were measured at the time of diagnosis. Patients with complications, such as liver disease, kidney disease, anemia, or who were pregnant were excluded. Results: Urinary CPR (log transformed) was not correlated with HbA(1c) (R = 0.168, P = 0.287), but was positively correlated with GA (R = 0.336, P = 0.030). It was weakly, but not significantly, correlated with GA/HbA(1c) ratio (R = 0.281, P = 0.072). In patients with GA < 24.0%, urinary CPR was significantly lower than in patients with GA ≥ 24.0%. In addition, in patients with GA/HbA(1c) ratio <3.8, urinary CPR was significantly lower than in patients with GA/HbA(1c) ratio ≥ 3.8. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that in patients with FT1DM, GA at the time of diagnosis was correlated with endogenous insulin secretion. GA < 24.0% at the time of diagnosis is predictive for less endogenous insulin secretion in patients with FT1DM. (J Diabetes Invest, doi: 10.1111/j.2040‐1124.2010.00050.x, 2010)