Steroid 21-hydroxylase autoantibodies in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Childhood Diabetes in Finland (DiMe) Study Group.
We have studied the sera from 304 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) for steroid 21-hydroxylase (P450c21) autoantibodies by an in vitro translation and immunoprecipitation assay. Autoantibodies to P450c21 were found in 7 patients with IDDM (2.3%). When the IDDM patients with P450c21 antibodies were analyzed for their HLA, 6 of them (86%) belonged to the HLA DQB1*0201-positive group. A strong correlation (r = 0.91, P < 0.001) of immunoprecipitation results was observed with adrenocortical autoantibodies detected by indirect immunofluorescence, indicating that the adrenal autoantibodies in patients with IDDM were anti-P450c21 autoantibodies. The levels of P450c21 autoantibodies were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in patients with IDDM than in 13 (9 P450c21 autoantibody positive) patients with Addison's disease. Although the occurrence of P450c21 antibodies in IDDM was relatively low, antibody-positive patients had high antibody levels and may have an ongoing subclinical process of adrenal autoimmunity.
Peterson
P
P
Institute of Medical Technology and University Hospital, University of Tampere, Finland.
Salmi
H
H
Hyöty
H
H
Miettinen
A
A
Ilonen
J
J
Reijonen
H
H
Knip
M
M
Akerblom
H K
HK
Krohn
K
K
D000224:Addison Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D000293:Adolescent; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013255:Steroid 21-Hydroxylase / Q000276:immunology*
D001323:Autoantibodies; D013255:Steroid 21-Hydroxylase