INCREASED PREVALENCE OF DIABETES-RELATED AUTOANTIBODIES IN CELIAC-DISEASE

Forty-four nondiabetic patients with celiac disease (CD) were examined for the presence of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)-relate d autoantibodies. Islet cell antibodies (ICA) were detected in 2 of 44 (4.5%). None of the 200 age- and sex-matched healthy controls was ICA positive (p < 0.05). Competitive antiinsulin antibodies (CIAA) were d etected in 1 of 44 (2.5%) patients. First-phase insulin reserve (FPIR) , stimulated insulin reserve (SIR), and glycosylated hemoglobin (GHB) levels were normal in the autoantibody-positive patients. Our data sug gest that, like first-degree relatives of IDDM patients, CD patients a re characterized by an increased prevalence of diabetes-related autoan tibodies. Further follow-up is needed to determine whether the presenc e of these autoantibodies in nondiabetic CD patients predicts future I DDM.