Accurate measurements of plasma glucose are required for diagnosis of diabetes, particularly of gestational diabetes, for which hemoglobin A_(1c) cannot substitute for glucose measurements [1]. While laboratories have improved the measurement procedures for plasma glucose, loss of glucose from blood samples before analysis remains a threat to accuracy of results. The traditional use of sodium fluoride (NaF) alone is unsatisfactory as it does not begin to inhibit glycolysis until 90-120 min have elapsed after blood is collected [2, 3]. The failure of NaF to properly control glycolysis leads to falsely low plasma glucose concentrations and, potentially, failure to detect diabetes. By contrast, the use of blood collection tubes with a low-pH citrate buffer stops glycolysis immediately [4].
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