High prevalence of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) antibodies in employees at a polychlorinated biphenyl production factory.

Abstract

An increased prevalence of thyroid antibodies was seen in employees of a factory that formerly produced polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In this study, the authors expand the evaluation of possible long-term PCB effects by comparing the prevalence of glutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) antibodies with the development of diabetes mellitus. The sera of 240 factory employees and 704 control subjects were analyzed. Anti-GAD antibody values exceeded 1.20 U/ml in all employees (40.4%), was 4 times higher (p < .001) than in all controls (10.5%), and were 5 times higher in employees aged 51-60 yr (53.2%) than in age-matched controls (10.5%) (p < .001). Although the prevalence of diabetes could not be determined from this retrospective study, this is the first report of a possible relationship between xenobiotics and the prevalence of anti-GAD antibodies, and it supports the concept of an immunomodulatory effect of PCBs. However, such antibodies may be present decades before the development of clinical diabetes, and not all anti-GAD antibody-positive individuals become diabetic. Presently, it is unknown whether there is an increased prevalence of diabetes among the former factory employees.

• Authors: Pavel Langer, Mária Tajtáková, Hans-Joachim Guretzki, Anton Kocan, Ján Petrík, Jana Chovancová, Beáta Drobná, Stanislav Jursa, Marián Pavúk, Tomás Trnovec, Elena Seböková, Iwar Klimes
• Journal: Archives of environmental health (Arch Environ Health) 2002 Sep-Oct Vol. 57 Issue 5 Pg. 412-5 ISSN: 0003-9896 [Print] United States
• PMID: 12641181 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Autoantibodies
• Xenobiotics
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls
• Glutamate Decarboxylase

Topics

• Adult
• Age Distribution
• Aged
• Autoantibodies (blood)
• Case-Control Studies
• Diabetes Mellitus (chemically induced, epidemiology)
• Environmental Monitoring
• Epidemiological Monitoring
• Female
• Glutamate Decarboxylase (immunology)
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Occupational Diseases (chemically induced, epidemiology)
• Occupational Exposure (adverse effects, analysis)
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (analysis, immunology, poisoning)
• Prevalence
• Risk Factors
• Slovakia (epidemiology)
• Xenobiotics (analysis, immunology, poisoning)