Electrospray Mass Spectrometry for Measurement of Glycohemoglobin (Editorial) (Clinical Report‪)‬

With the publication of the results of the landmark 9-year Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), the importance of Hb [A.sub.1c]/glycohemoglobin testing in diabetes was firmly established. The DCCT showed, at least in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, that the risk for development and progression of the chronic complications of diabetes is closely related to the degree of metabolic control as measured by glycohemoglobin determinations [1]. Generally, the same is believed to be true for patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, although the results of the UK Prospective Study must be awaited [2, 3]. The DCCT has confirmed that measuring glycohemoglobin in blood is an excellent tool for the long-term control of the glycemic state. Considering the high prevalence of diabetes mellitus, glycohemoglobin is one of the most important analytes in laboratory medicine today [4]. A major task of clinical chemistry should be to optimize conditions for its determination. The development of new methodologies and international standardization is an essential part of such efforts.