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Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 1998; 106(2): 113-116
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1211961
Original

© J. A. Barth Verlag in Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Prevalence of diabetes-specific autoantibodies in patients at risk for adult onset diabetes mellitus

M. Breidert1 , Th. Temelkova-Kurktschiev2 , M. Hanefeld2 , W. Leonhardt2 , A. Schmoeckel2 , J. Seissler3
  • 1Department of Internal Medicine and Policlinic I, Dresden
  • 2Institute and Policlinic of Clinical Metabolic Research, Dresden
  • 3Diabetes Research Institute, Düsseldorf
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Publication History

Publication Date:
14 July 2009 (online)

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Summary

To evaluate the potential of autoimmune markers in identifing patients with slowly progressive IDDM in the prediabetic state, we screened a population of 151 patients aged 37 — 70 years with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) for the presence of islet cell antibodies (ICA), insulin autoantibodies (IAA), antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA), and antibodies to tyrosine phosphatase IA-2 (IA-2A). Autoantibodies were found in 5 (3.3%) patients with IGT suggesting the presence of an autoimmune-mediated Beta cell destruction. All of them were positive for high level ICA (>20 JDF-U) and 1 ICA positive subject had additional GADA (100 GADA-U). In contrast, none of the subjects had IA-2A or IAA. We here demonstrate a low prevalence of autoimmune diabetes among middle-aged subjects with IGT. ICA and GADA but not IA-2A or IAA may represent autoimmune markers for slowly progressive IDDM before the manifestation of the disease.

Key words

Impaired glucose tolerance - ICA - GAD antibodies - IA-2 antibodies - IAA