Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research (Oct 1999)

Frequency of islet cell autoantibodies (IA-2 and GAD) in young Brazilian type 1 diabetes patients

  • V.C. Pardini,
  • D.M. Mourão,
  • P.D. Nascimento,
  • M.A. Vívolo,
  • S.R.G. Ferreira,
  • H. Pardini

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-879X1999001000003
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 32, no. 10
pp. 1195 – 1198

Abstract

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Type 1 diabetes, as an autoimmune disease, presents several islet cell-specific autoantibodies such as islet cell antibody (ICA), anti-insulin, anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and the antibody (Ab) against tyrosine phosphatase (PTP)-like protein known as ICA-512 (IA-2). In order to determine the frequency of the anti-GAD and anti-IA-2 autoantibodies in Brazilian type 1 diabetes patients we studied 35 diabetes mellitus (DM) type 1 patients with recent-onset disease (£12 months) and 37 type 1 diabetes patients with long-duration diabetes (>12 months) who were compared to 12 children with normal fasting glucose. Anti-GAD65 and anti-IA-2 autoantibodies were detected with commercial immunoprecipitation assays. The frequency of positive results in recent-onset DM type 1 patients was 80.0% for GADAb, 62.9% for IA-2Ab and 82.9% for GADAb and/or IA-2Ab. The long-duration type 1 diabetes subjects presented frequencies of 54.1% for GADAb and IA-2Ab, and 67.5% for GAD and/or IA-2 antibodies. The control group showed no positive cases. Anti-GAD and IA-2 assays showed a high frequency of positivity in these Brazilian type 1 diabetes patients, who presented the same prevalence as a Caucasian population.

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