title: Evidence for a primary autoimmune type of diabetes mellitus.
abstract: Sixty-eight patients with longstanding diabetes and persistent islet-cell antibody and 35 with coexistent diabetes and Graves's disease or primary myxoedema were studied with particular reference to the HLA system and autoantibody patterns. A higher incidence of HLA-B8 than normal was observed in the two groups. An additive relative risk exists when type I diabetes and autoimmune thyroid disease coexist, indicating that different HLA-linked genes may confer susceptibility to the pancreatic and thyroid disorders. Other characteristics, including female predominance, a later onset of diabetes, and a strong family history of autoimmune endocrinopathy, provide further evidence that this form of diabetes is aetiologically distinct from that generally seen in children. These results support the hypothesis of a primary autoimmune type of diabetes mellitus.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000276:immunology*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000150:complications; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009230:Myxedema / Q000150:complications; D012737:Sex Factors; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D006680:HLA Antigens