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M Knip

Publications and source records attributed to M Knip.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Diabetes-associated autoantibodies in relation to clinical characteristics and natural course in children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. The Childhood Diabetes In Finland Study Group.

We analyzed 747 children, younger than 15 yr of age, with newly diagnosed diabetes, for antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA), the IA-2 protein (IA-2A), insulin (IAA), and islet cells, to evaluate the influence of positivity for GADA, IA-2A, IAA, or multiple (> or = 3) autoantibodies at diagnosis, on the clinical presentation and natural course of the disease over the first 2 yr and to characterize autoantibody-negative patients. At diagnosis, 73.2% of the children tested positive for GADA, 85.7% for IA-2A, 54.2% for IAA, and 72.6% for multiple autoantibodies. Only 17 subjects (2.3%) had no detectable autoantibodies. The patients testing positive for multiple autoantibodies were younger than the remaining children (P < 0.001). A similar age difference was seen when comparing IAA-positive and -negative patients (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the GADA-positive and -negative subjects in the degree of metabolic decompensation at diagnosis, whereas those testing positive for IA-2A had reduced serum C-peptide concentrations (P = 0.003), and those positive for IAA had lower glycated hemoglobin values. The patients with no detectable autoantibodies had higher serum C-peptide levels (P = 0.007) at diagnosis than did the other subjects. The children initially positive for IA-2A had decreased serum C-peptide concentrations at 24 months (P = 0.045), and their daily insulin dose was higher at 18 (P = 0.005) and 24 months (P < 0.001). The patients who tested positive for multiple autoantibodies at diagnosis had decreased serum C-peptide levels (P < 0.001) and higher insulin doses (P = 0.005) at 12, 18, and 24 months. A lower proportion of them were also in clinical remission at 12 and 18 months (P = 0.01). Autoantibody-negative subjects needed less exogenous insulin at 6 and 18 (P = 0.01) and at 24 months (P < 0.001) than the other subjects, and a higher proportion of them were in clinical remission at 18 months (P < 0.001). We conclude that positivity for multiple diabetes-related autoantibodies is associated with accelerated beta-cell destruction and an increased requirement for exogenous insulin over the second year of clinical disease, indicating that multiple autoantibodies reflect an aggressive progression to total beta-cell destruction. Patients testing negative for diabetes-associated autoantibodies at diagnosis seem to have a milder degree of beta-cell destruction, but their metabolic decompensation is similar to that seen in other affected children, suggesting that they do represent classical type 1 diabetes.

Adolescent↗

Alterations in bone turnover and impaired development of bone mineral density in newly diagnosed children with cancer: a 1-year prospective study.

In the present study, longitudinal changes in bone mineral density, bone turnover, and bone hormonal metabolism were evaluated in newly diagnosed children with cancer. Lumbar spine (L2-L4) and femoral neck bone mineral densities (grams per cm2) were measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry in 28 children (age, 2.9-16.0 yr; median, 8.0 yr; 10 acute lymphoblastic leukemias, 18 solid tumors) at diagnosis and after a 1-yr follow-up. Apparent volumetric density (grams per cm3) was calculated to minimize the effect of bone size on BMD. Serum levels of osteocalcin (OC), type I collagen carboxyl-terminal propeptide (PICP), and type I collagen carboxyl-terminal telopeptide were measured serially during the study. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and IGF-binding protein-3 were analyzed at diagnosis and at 1-yr follow-up. A significant decrease in femoral bone mineral density and apparent volumetric density was observed during the year after diagnosis [(mean (SD), -10.1% (8.8%) and -11.3% (8.1%) respectively; P < 0.01], whereas age- and sex-matched controls showed annual increments of +5.4% (7.7%; P < 0.01) and +0.7% (5.7%; P = NS) respectively. The markers of bone formation (PICP and OC) were significantly decreased at diagnosis. By the end of the follow-up, PICP and OC were normalized, whereas the marker of bone resorption (type I collagen carboxyl-terminal telopeptide) was significantly increased. Reduced levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and IGF-binding protein-3 were observed during the study. To conclude, increased bone resorption and impaired development of femoral bone density were observed in children with cancer during chemotherapy. Deficient accumulation of bone mass may lead to impaired development of peak bone mass and predispose children with cancer to increased risk of osteoporosis and diminished skeletal resistance to fractures later in life.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗

The effects of valproate, carbamazepine, and oxcarbazepine on growth and sexual maturation in girls with epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have endocrine effects that may interfere with growth and sexual maturation in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of AEDs on growth and pubertal development in girls with epilepsy. STUDY DESIGN: Forty girls taking valproate (VPA), 19 girls taking carbamazepine (CBZ), and 18 girls taking oxcarbazepine (OXC) for epilepsy and 49 healthy control girls participated in the study, which included a cross-sectional clinical examination when the girls were 8 to 18 years old and a longitudinal growth analysis from the age of 1 year. RESULTS: VPA, CBZ, or OXC did not affect linear growth or pubertal development in girls with epilepsy. However, the patients taking VPA gained weight, and an increase in relative weight was seen in girls who started their medication before as well as during puberty. The body mass index of the VPA-treated girls (19.8 +/- 4.8 kg/m2) was higher than that of the control girls (18.0 +/- 2.5 kg/m2) at clinical examination. The weight of the girls taking CBZ or OXC for epilepsy was similar to that of the control girls. Plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels were higher in girls treated with CBZ and OXC than in the control girls, but AEDs did not affect fasting serum insulin, IGF-binding protein-1, or IGF-binding protein-3 concentrations in girls on VPA, CBZ, or OXC medication during the period of exposure (average 2.8, 4.1, and 1.9 years, respectively) in this study. CONCLUSIONS: AEDs do not seem to have any adverse effects on linear growth or sexual maturation in girls with epilepsy. VPA-related weight gain can be seen already in prepuberty and it is not associated with hyperinsulinemia in these young patients. The clinical significance of high circulating concentrations of IGF-I in patients taking CBZ or OXC remains to be defined.

Adolescent↗

Staging of preclinical type 1 diabetes in siblings of affected children. Childhood Diabetes in Finland Study Group.

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether it is clinically relevant to classify siblings of children with recent-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) into various stages of preclinical diabetes, and to compare the risk of developing clinical disease and the time to diagnosis between these stages. STUDY DESIGN: From a total of 801 families taking part in the Childhood Diabetes in Finland Study, 758 initially unaffected siblings were graded into four stages of preclinical T1DM based on the number of disease-associated autoantibodies detectable close to the time of diagnosis in the index case: no (no antibodies), early (one antibody specificity), advanced (two antibodies), and late prediabetes (more than three antibodies). Another classification system, used with 712 siblings, was based on a combination of the number of antibodies and the first-phase insulin response (FPIR) to intravenous glucose: no (no antibodies), early (one antibody specificity, normal FPIR), advanced (two or more antibodies, normal FPIR), and late prediabetes (one or more antibodies, reduced FPIR). RESULTS: Six out of 661 siblings who initially presented no signs of prediabetes (0.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.3%-2.0%) progressed to clinical T1DM. Based on the first set of criteria, 3 out of 49 individuals (6.1%; CI, 1.3%-16. 9%; odds ratio [OR], 7.1; CI, 1.7-29.4) from the early prediabetes category, 3 out of 13 with advanced prediabetes (23.1%; CI, 5.0%-53. 8%; OR, 32.8; CI, 7.2-150), and 23 out of 35 with late prediabetes (65.7%; CI, 47.8%-80.9%; OR, 209; CI, 72.2-607) presented with clinical signs of T1DM. According to the second set of criteria 1 out of 15 siblings with early prediabetes (6.7%; CI, 0.2%-32.0%; OR, 7.8; CI, 0.9-69.1), 6 out of 23 with advanced prediabetes (26.1%; CI, 10.2%-48.4%; OR, 38.5; CI, 11.3-132), and 12 out of 13 with late prediabetes (92.3%; CI, 64.0%-99.8%; OR, 1310; CI, 146-11 737) presented with clinical signs of T1DM. The time to diagnosis was significantly shorter in those with late prediabetes initially than in those with no signs of prediabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations indicate that it is possible to grade siblings of children with newly diagnosed T1DM into categories with significant differences in the subsequent risk of clinical T1DM and time to diagnosis. Such a classification will become clinically relevant as soon as effective measures are available for preventing or delaying the manifestation of overt T1DM.autoantibodies, classification, prospective, first-phase insulin response.

Adolescent↗

Cow's milk formula feeding induces primary immunization to insulin in infants at genetic risk for type 1 diabetes.

Insulin autoantibodies (IAAs) often appear as the first sign of islet cell autoimmunity in prediabetic children. Because cow's milk contains bovine insulin, we followed the development of insulin-binding antibodies in children fed with cow's milk formula. Bovine insulin- and human insulin-binding antibodies by enzyme immunoassay and IAA by radioimmunoassay were analyzed in 200 infants carrying HLA-DQB1*0302 but no protective alleles who participated in a Finnish population-based birth-cohort study. Based on the prospectively registered information, the first 100 infants enrolled in the study who were exposed to cow's milk formula before age 12 weeks and the first 100 infants enrolled in the study who were exclusively breast-fed for longer than their first 12 weeks of life were selected for the present study. Also, 11 children from the birth cohort who developed at least two diabetes-associated autoantibodies, 98 children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, and 92 healthy children were studied. We found that the amount of IgG-antibodies binding to bovine insulin was higher at age 3 months in infants who were exposed to cow's milk formula than in infants who were exclusively breast-fed at that age (median 0.521 vs. 0.190; P < 0.0001). The antibodies binding to bovine insulin cross-reacted with human insulin. None of these infants tested positive for IAA. The levels of bovine insulin-binding antibodies declined in both groups at ages 12 and 18 months, whereas in the 11 children with at least two diabetes-associated autoantibodies the levels increased during the follow-up period (P < 0.0001). IgG antibodies correlated with IgG2 antibodies binding to bovine insulin (r = 0.43, P = 0.004) and IAA (r = 0.27, P = 0.02) in diabetic children, but not in healthy children. Cow's milk feeding is an environmental trigger of immunity to insulin in infancy that may explain the epidemiological link between the risk of type 1 diabetes and early exposure to cow's milk formulas. This immune response to insulin may later be diverted into autoaggressive immunity against beta-cells in some individuals, as indicated by our findings in children with diabetes-associated autoantibodies.

Antigen-Antibody Reactions↗

Clinical, autoimmune, and genetic characteristics of very young children with type 1 diabetes. Childhood Diabetes in Finland (DiMe) Study Group.

OBJECTIVE: To study the characteristics of type 1 diabetes in very young children. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Clinical outcome, islet cell antibodies (ICA), insulin autoantibodies (IAA), antibodies against GAD (GADA), IA-2 antibodies (IA-2A), and HLA-DQB1-defined genetic risk were analyzed in 35 children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before 2 years of age and compared with those in 146 children who were diagnosed between 2.0 and 4.9 years of age and with those in 620 children diagnosed between 5.0 and 14.9 years of age. RESULTS: The youngest age-group had severer metabolic decompensation at clinical onset, and their serum C-peptide levels, compared with those of older children, were lower at the time of diagnosis and during the first 2 years after the diagnosis. The levels of ICA and IAA were highest in children < 2 years of age, but there were no differences in GADA levels among the three age-groups. The youngest age-group had the lowest IA-2A levels. The HLA DQB1*02/*0302 genotype associated with strong genetic susceptibility was more frequent in children diagnosed < 5 years of age, whereas the proportion of children carrying a genotype, which includes protective alleles, was higher among those diagnosed at > or = 5 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical presentation of type 1 diabetes at a very young age is associated with severe metabolic decompensation, poorly preserved residual beta-cell function, strong humoral autoimmunity against islet cells and insulin, and strong HLA-defined disease susceptibility.

Adolescent↗

Infant feeding, early weight gain, and risk of type 1 diabetes. Childhood Diabetes in Finland (DiMe) Study Group.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the increased risk of type 1 diabetes conferred by an early introduction of cow's milk supplements can be mediated by accelerated growth in formula-fed infants. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: All children < or = 14 years of age who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes from September 1986 to April 1989 were invited to participate in the study. Birth date- and sex-matched control children were randomly selected from the Finnish Population Registry. At least three weight measurements from the first year of life were obtained for 435 full-term diabetic subjects and 386 control subjects from well-baby clinics and school health care units. RESULTS: Increase in body weight was greater in the diabetic girls than in the control girls, and the difference increased from 111 g (95% CI 0-218, P = 0.04) at 1 month of age to 286 g (95% CI 123-450, P = 0.0006) at 7 months. For boys, the difference in weight between the diabetic subjects and the control subjects remained stable during infancy (difference 95 g, 95% CI-2-205, P = 0.09). Increased weight was associated on average with a 1.5-fold risk of type 1 diabetes. Early introduction of formula feeding (< 3 vs. > or = 3 months) was also associated with an increased risk of type 1 diabetes after adjustment for the individual weight gain curve (adjusted odds ratio 1.53, 95% CI 1.1-2.2). No evidence for interaction was observed. CONCLUSIONS: These observations indicate that an early exposure to cow's milk formula-feeding and rapid growth in infancy are independent risk factors of childhood type 1 diabetes.

Adolescent↗

Production of the islet cell antigen ICA69 (p69) with baculovirus expression system: analysis with a solid-phase time-resolved fluorescence method of sera from patients with IDDM and rheumatoid arthritis.

Islet cell antigen 69 (ICA69), previously implicated as an autoantigen in autoimmune insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), was produced using baculovirus-mediated expression in Spodopterafrugiperda (Sf9) insect cells. In these cells the protein was effectively expressed and ICA69 carrying C-terminal histidine-hexapeptide could be efficiently purified using immobilized metal chelate affinity chromatography. Screening of patient and control sera using this protein as an antigen in time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) identified 4/50 of patients with IDDM and 6/73 of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to be positive for ICA69 antibodies. The number of positives did not differ significantly between patients and control subjects but the level of binding was higher in sera from RA patients compared to that of control sera (P = 0.003). The results show that some subjects have specific autoreactive antibodies against the ICA69 protein produced with recombinant technology.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

Prediction of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in siblings of children with diabetes. A population-based study. The Childhood Diabetes in Finland Study Group.

An unselected population of 755 siblings of children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) was studied to evaluate the predictive characteristics of islet cell antibodies (ICA), antibodies to the IA-2 protein (IA-2A), antibodies to the 65-kD isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GADA), insulin autoantibodies (IAA), and combinations of these markers. We also evaluated whether the histochemical ICA test could be replaced by the combined detection of other markers. 32 siblings progressed to IDDM within 7.7 yr of the initial sample taken at or close to the diagnosis of the index case (median follow-up, 9.1 yr). The positive predictive values of ICA, IA-2A, GADA, and IAA were 43, 55, 42, and 29%, and their sensitivities 81, 69, 69, and 25%, respectively. In contrast to the other three antibody specificities, GADA levels were not related to the risk for IDDM. The risk for IDDM in siblings with four, three, two, one, or no antibodies was 40, 70, 25, 2, and 0.8%, respectively. Combined screening for IA-2A and GADA identified 70% of all ICA-positive siblings, and all of the ICA-positive progressors were also positive for at least one of the three other markers. The sensitivity of the combined analysis of IA-2A and GADA was 81%, and the positive predictive value was 41%. In conclusion, combined screening for IA-2A and GADA may replace the ICA assay, giving comparable sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value. Accurate assessment of the risk for IDDM in siblings is complicated, as not even all those with four antibody specificities contract the disease, and some with only one or no antibodies initially will progress to IDDM.

Adolescent↗

Several different enterovirus serotypes can be associated with prediabetic autoimmune episodes and onset of overt IDDM. Childhood Diabetes in Finland (DiMe) Study Group.

In a prospective multicentre study described previously on prediabetic events in siblings of index cases with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, 31 children developed clinical diabetes during the observation period and 51 children seroconverted for islet cell antibodies or insulin autoantibodies. By using nonserotype specific EIA and RIA, it has shown recently that enterovirus infections in both groups were frequently associated with increases of islet cell antibody and/or insulin autoantibody titres. Serum specimens sequentially collected from 12 children during the prediabetic period were still available and were then tested for serotype-specific neutralizing antibodies. Plaque-neutralization assays were carried out for coxsackievirus A9, coxsackievirus B types 1 to 6, and echovirus types 1 and 11. An unequivocal monotypic increase in neutralizing antibodies was observed on seven occasions in six children, on one occasion with coxsackievirus A9, one with coxsackievirus B1, two with coxsackievirus B2, two with coxsackievirus B3, and one with coxsackievirus B5. In four patients, the infection was associated temporally with increases in the levels of islet cell antibodies, insulin autoantibodies and/or antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase, and in three other patients, it coincided with the clinical onset of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. These results suggest that the association of enterovirus infections with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is not restricted to serotype 4 of coxsackie B viruses suspected previously, but that several different serotypes might play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Adolescent↗

Onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus in infancy after enterovirus infections.

Enterovirus infections may initiate and accelerate the beta-cell damaging process leading to Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus (Type 1 DM). Recent prospective studies have suggested that this can happen long before overt disease and even in utero. We describe an infant, followed regularly from birth, who progressed to clinical Type 1 DM at the age of 14 months. He had a strong enterovirus exposure exceptionally early in life; the first enterovirus infection occurred before the age of 3 months and the second between the age of 9 and 12 months. The first infection probably occurred at birth, when the child had symptoms of a respiratory infection. This infection was followed by the appearance of beta-cell autoimmunity, and clinical Type 1 DM was diagnosed shortly after the second infection. The child had a low level of maternal enterovirus antibodies and short duration of breast-feeding, both associated with increased risk for enterovirus infections during the fetal period and infancy. This case fits with the current hypothesis that enterovirus infections can induce the process resulting in Type 1 DM, especially when occurring early in life. Furthermore, this demonstrates the feasibility of the present study design, which is applicable also in large-scale birth-cohort studies.

Antibodies, Viral↗

Cow's milk consumption, disease-associated autoantibodies and type 1 diabetes mellitus: a follow-up study in siblings of diabetic children. Childhood Diabetes in Finland Study Group.

Evidence from case-control studies for the diabetogenicity of introduction of cow's milk-based formulas at early age in infancy is inconclusive. We followed siblings of children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (Type 1 DM) to investigate a possible relationship between cow's milk consumption during infancy or later in childhood and the emergence of diabetes-associated autoantibodies and progression to clinical Type 1 DM. A cohort of 725 initially unaffected 0 to 25-year-old siblings of 801 index children with Type 1 DM diagnosed in 1986-1989 participated in the study (82% of those invited). The siblings were observed for Type 1 DM associated autoantibodies at intervals of 3-12 months for 4 years, starting from the diagnosis of Type 1 DM in the index child. The follow-up for Type 1 DM started at the same time and ended on 31 October 1995. The combined prevalence of Type 1 DM associated autoantibodies (islet cell antibodies (ICA), insulin autoantibodies (IAA), GAD autoantibodies (GADA), and/or antibodies to the insulinoma associated cDNA2 protein (IA-2A)) was 13.6% (95/697) at the beginning of the study. Of the initially seronegative siblings, 7.5% (45/602) converted to antibody positivity during 4 years, and of all siblings 4.6% (33/725) developed Type 1 DM during the total follow-up time. The age at introduction of supplementary milk feeding was not significantly related to seroconversion to positivity for Type 1 DM associated autoantibodies or to the development of Type 1 DM in the siblings. When adjusted for age, sex, infant feeding patterns, and maternal age and education, high milk consumption in childhood (> or =3 glasses daily) was associated with more frequent emergence of Type 1 DM-associated autoantibodies than low consumption (<3 glasses daily) (adjusted odds ratio 3.97, 95% confidence interval 1.3-11.7, p = 0.01). There was a non-significant association between high milk consumption and progression to clinical Type 1 DM (adjusted hazard ratio 2.75, 95% confidence interval 0.9-8.4, p = 0.07). To conclude, this study suggests that high consumption of cow's milk during childhood may be associated both with seroconversion to positivity for diabetes-associated autoantibodies and progression to clinical Type 1 DM among siblings of children with diabetes.

Adolescent↗

Putative environmental factors in Type 1 diabetes.

Various environmental triggers, e.g. certain viruses and dietary factors, are thought to initiate the autoimmune process, leading to the destruction of pancreatic beta-cells and consequent Type 1 diabetes. A genetic predisposition is another prerequisite allowing the autoimmune process to progress. Twin studies, major geographical variations in incidence rates, temporal trends in the incidence and findings in migrant studies indicate that environmental factors play a crucial role in the development of Type 1 diabetes. In the present review the major focus is on dietary factors, and among them particularly the possible role of cow's milk proteins. The cow's milk and Type 1 diabetes hypothesis was developed more than 10 years ago, and the issue is still not settled. Among viral infections, enteroviruses are today the most interesting group of viruses in this respect, as recent prospective studies indicate that these viruses may trigger and potentiate existing beta-cell autoimmunity. Among toxins, particularly N-nitroso compounds are of potential interest, as they are probably involved in the aetiology of some cases. Finally, psychosocial factors and the interaction between genetic predisposition and environmental factors are briefly discussed.

Animals↗

Valproate, lamotrigine, and insulin-mediated risks in women with epilepsy.

We recently reported the frequent occurrence of polycystic ovaries and hyperandrogenism associated with weight gain and hyperinsulinemia in women taking valproate for epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risks related to valproate-induced hyperinsulinemia and their reversibility after discontinuing the medication. Sixteen women with valproate-related polycystic ovaries or hyperandrogenism participated in the study. Vaginal ultrasonography was performed, and endocrine and lipid parameters were measured. Thereafter, lamotrigine was substituted for valproate and the patients were observed for 12 months. Twenty-four healthy age-matched women served as control subjects. Twelve women completed the 12-month follow-up. While still on valproate they had centripetal obesity with associated hyperinsulinemia and unfavorable serum lipid profiles. The body-mass index and fasting serum insulin and testosterone concentrations decreased during the first year after replacing valproate with lamotrigine whereas the HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol ratios increased from 0.17 +/- 0.06 to 0.26 +/- 0.05. The total number of polycystic ovaries in these women decreased from 20 during valproate medication to 11 one year after replacing valproate with lamotrigine. Valproate induces a metabolic syndrome with centripetal obesity, hyperinsulinemia, lipid abnormalities, and polycystic ovaries/hyperandrogenism in women with epilepsy. These valproate-related risks can be reduced by substituting lamotrigine for valproate.

Analysis of Variance↗

Costs of predicting IDDM.

Programmes aiming at prediction and prevention of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), a multifactorial autoimmune disease, have been launched or are in the planning phase in several countries. We hypothesized that the costs of finding the correct target subjects for preventive interventions are likely to vary markedly according to the prediction strategy chosen. Average direct costs accruing in the Finnish IDDM Prediction and Prevention Project (DIPP) were analysed from the health care provider's viewpoint. The genetically targeted strategy included costs of assessing genetic IDDM susceptibility followed by measurement of marker(s) of islet autoimmunity in the susceptibility restricted population at 3 to 6-month intervals. In the pure immunological strategy markers of autoimmunity were repeatedly analysed in the entire population. The data were finally exposed to sensitivity analysis. The genetically targeted prediction strategy is cost-saving in the first year if autoimmune markers are analysed as frequently as under the DIPP project, and in all circumstances later. The 10-year direct costs per child are US$ 245 (present value $ 217, 5% discount rate) if the genetically targeted approach is used and $ 733 (present value $ 619) if the pure immunological strategy is chosen. In sensitivity analysis the 10-year costs (present value) per child of the genetically targeted strategy and of the pure immunological strategy varied from $ 152 to $ 241 and from $ 430 to $ 788, respectively. The genetically targeted IDDM prediction strategy is remarkably cost-saving as compared with the pure immunological strategy mainly because fewer subjects will need retesting during the follow-up.

Administration, Intranasal↗

IA-2 antibodies--a sensitive marker of IDDM with clinical onset in childhood and adolescence. Childhood Diabetes in Finland Study Group.

To study the relationship of IA-2 antibodies (IA-2A) to other autoantibodies and genetic risk markers in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), 758 children and adolescents younger than 15 years of age (mean age 8.4 years) with newly diagnosed diabetes were analysed for IA-2A, GAD antibodies (GADA) and insulin autoantibodies (IAA) with radiobinding assays, for islet cell antibodies (ICA) with immunofluorescence and for HLA DR alleles by serology. IA-2A were detected in 85.9% of cases with no association with gender or age. An overwhelming majority of the patients (71.3%) tested positive for three or more antibodies, and 90.7% for at least two. Fifty-four subjects (7.1%) had one antibody detectable, whereas only 2.1% of the patients tested negative for all four. A higher proportion of patients was positive for IA-2A and/or GADA than for ICA alone (95.5 vs 84.2%, p < 0.001). The prevalence and level of IA-2A were increased in cases carrying HLA DR4/non-DR3 compared with other DR combinations. The results indicate that almost all patients with newly diagnosed childhood IDDM can be identified by screening with these four autoantibodies. The combination of IA-2A and/or GADA had a higher sensitivity for IDDM than ICA alone. The close association between IA-2A and HLA DR4, the strongest single allele predisposing to IDDM, suggests that IA-2A may be a more specific marker of beta-cell destruction than GADA, which have been shown to associate with the DR3 allele and thyroid autoimmunity.

Adolescent↗