Abstract
ABSTRACT: Antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), previously known as the 64-kD pancreatic islet cell autoantigen, are an important serologie marker of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Antibodies to GAD (anti-GAD) were examined in sera from Australian children with newly diagnosed IDDM (within 1 mo of diagnosis), IDDM of longer duration (mean ± SD, 4.8 ± 3.3 y), and in first-degree relatives, using a radioimmuno-precipitation assay with purified porcine brain GAD as antigen. Antibodies to islet cell cytoplasmic antigens (ICAb) were tested concurrently. The frequency of anti-GAD was not significantly different in children with newly diagnosed IDDM (31 of 42, 74%) and with IDDM of longer duration (14 of 21, 67%), whereas ICAb were present more frequently in children with newly diagnosed IDDM (64%) than in those with longer duration IDDM (14%). In all, 90% of children with newly diagnosed IDDM had either anti-GAD or ICAb, whereas only 48% had both. For the 77 first-degree relatives, the frequency of anti-GAD was 2% (one of 44) in parents and 6% (two of 33) in siblings; ICAb were not detected in any of these relatives. The presence of anti-GAD in the majority of children with IDDM, irrespective of the duration of their disease, represents a useful diagnostic marker for IDDM, and should be of value in ascertaining individuals at risk for developing IDDM.
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Chen, QY., Rowley, M., Byrne, G. et al. Antibodies to Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase in Australian Children with Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus and Their First-Degree Relatives. Pediatr Res 34, 785–790 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199312000-00018
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199312000-00018
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