title: Evidence for raised K-cell levels in type-I diabetes.
abstract: The proportion of blood mononuclear cells forming low-affinity rosettes with sheep erythrocytes (K cells) was abnormally high in 13 (57%) of 23 children with classical type-1 diabetes at diagnosis but normal in children who had had diabetes for more than a year. A raised proportion of K cells was also found in 5 out of 10 unaffected siblings with islet-cell antibodies and at least one HLA haplotype in common with the diabetic proband; and in 10 (45%) of 22 subjects with type-1 diabetes and co-existent autoimmune thyroid disease irrespective of the duration of diabetes or the presence of islet-cell antibodies. These findings may be new evidence for lymphocyte-mediated beta-cell destruction and support the idea of immunogenetic heterogeneity within type-1 diabetes.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009230:Myxedema / Q000276:immunology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012397:Rosette Formation; D012756:Sheep