BACKGROUNDThe accurate and comprehensive assessment of glycemic control in patients with diabetes is important for optimizing glycemic management and for formulating personalized diabetic treatment schemes. This study aimed to analyze the correlation between 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG) and glycemic excursions in type 2 diabetic patients.

METHODSSeventy-one outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomly recruited from Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital. Using a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS), these patients' blood glucose levels were monitored for three consecutive days to obtain mean blood glucose (MBG) data. Intraday glycemic excursions were evaluated using the mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE), the largest amplitude of glycemic excursions (LAGE), standard deviation of blood glucose (SDBG) and the M-value. Interday glycemic excursion was assessed by absolute mean of daily difference (MODD). Postprandial glycemic fluctuations were evaluated using postprandial glucose excursions (PPGE) and postprandial incremental area under the curve (iAUC). Fasting venous blood samples were collected to measure serum 1,5-AG, whole-blood hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and serum glycated albumin (GA). Clinical markers of glycemia and parameters of glycemic excursions from CGMS were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate stepwise regression.

RESULTSPearson correlation analysis revealed that 1,5-AG was significantly correlated with MAGE, SDBG, M-value, LAGE, PPGE and iAUC (r values were -0.509, -0.430, -0.530, -0.462, -0.416 and -0.435, respectively, P < 0.01), especially in moderately and well-controlled patients, based on defined HbA1c levels. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis revealed a negative correlation between 1,5-AG and the above parameters, but not HbA1c and GA. Finally, HbA1c and GA were positively correlated with MBG and fasting blood glucose (FBG).

CONCLUSIONS1,5-AG was much better than HbA1c and GA as a marker of glycemic excursions in type 2 diabetic patients. Based on these results 1,5-AG is the best metric for assessing postprandial glucose levels in moderately and well-controlled patients, while HbA1c and GA were superior to 1,5-AG for monitoring MBG and FBG.