title: Approved IFCC recommendation on reporting results for blood glucose (abbreviated).
abstract: In current clinical practice, plasma and blood glucose are used interchangeably with a consequent risk of clinical misinterpretation. In human blood, glucose, like water, is distributed between erythrocytes and plasma. The molality of glucose (amount of glucose per unit of water mass) is the same throughout the sample, but the concentration is higher in plasma because the concentration of water and, therefore, glucose is higher in plasma than in erythrocytes. Different devices for the measurement of glucose may detect and report fundamentally different quantities. Different water concentrations in calibrators, plasma, and erythrocyte fluid can explain some of the differences. Results of glucose measurements depend on sample type and on whether methods require sample dilution or use biosensors in undiluted samples. If the results are mixed up or used indiscriminately, the differences may exceed the maximum allowable error of glucose determinations for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes mellitus, and complicate the treatment. The goal of the IFCC Scientific Division Working Group on Selective Electrodes and Point of Care Testing (IFCC-SD, WG-SEPOCT) is to reach a global consensus on reporting results. The document recommends reporting the concentration of glucose in plasma (with the unit mmol/L), irrespective of sample type or measurement technique. A constant factor of 1.11 is used to convert concentration in whole blood to the equivalent concentration in the pertinent plasma. The conversion will provide harmonized results, facilitating the classification and care of patients and leading to fewer therapeutic misjudgments.
authors.affiliation: Instrumetation Laboratory, Lexington, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'Orazio
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Burnett
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fogh-Andersen
authors.forename: Ellis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuwa
authors.forename: Wolf R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Külpmann
authors.forename: Lasse
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lewenstam
authors.forename: Anton H J
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mager
authors.forename: Jerzy W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Naskalski
authors.forename: Anthony O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Okorodudu
mesh_terms: D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000592:standards; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000592:standards*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D010949:Plasma
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose