Anti-insulin antibodies in children with type I diabetes mellitus. Genetic regulation of production and presence at diagnosis before insulin replacement.

Abstract

We evaluated the production of antibodies against insulin in a genetically well-defined population. In the first study, 124 young patients with type I diabetes for longer than 6 mo were included. Anti-insulin antibodies were detected by polyethyleneglycol (PEG) precipitation after incubation of acidified, charcoal-stripped sera with 125I-labeled pork insulin and were expressed as microunits insulin bound per milliliter whole serum. For comparison, the patients were divided into six groups based on HLA DR antigens: 3/3, 3/-, 4/4, 4/-, 3/4, and -/-(-is non-DR3 or -DR4). The mean age of the patients was 14.7 +/- 0.5 yr; the duration of diabetes was 5.8 +/- 0.4 yr; and the glucose control, as measured by hemoglobin A1c was average (7.6 +/- 0.2%). There were no significant differences in any of these parameters among the patients in any of the HLA DR groups. Patients expressing DR3/3 had significantly lower insulin binding than the rest of the groups (2.5 +/- 0.4 vs. 13.6 +/- 1.4 microU/ml, P less than 0.0001). Patients with DR3/ - did not differ in insulin-binding capacity from the other groups. The type of insulin used for replacement was not correlated with the serum insulin-binding capacity. In a second study, sera from 48 children, newly diagnosed with type I diabetes, were examined for the presence of insulin binding before treatment with exogenous insulin and compared with sera from 80 children without diabetes or a family history of diabetes and from 103 unaffected HLA-identical or haploidentical siblings of a child with type I diabetes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

• Authors: R C McEvoy, M E Witt, F Ginsberg-Fellner, P Rubinstein
• Journal: Diabetes (Diabetes) Vol. 35 Issue 6 Pg. 634-41 (Jun 1986) ISSN: 0012-1797 [Print] United States
• PMID: 3519320 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• HLA-DR Antigens
• Histocompatibility Antigens Class II
• Insulin
• Insulin Antibodies

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Age Factors
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 (drug therapy, genetics, immunology)
• Female
• HLA-DR Antigens
• Histocompatibility Antigens Class II (analysis)
• Humans
• Infant
• Insulin (therapeutic use)
• Insulin Antibodies (analysis)
• Male
• Sex Factors