title: Frequency of glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies in Mexican diabetic children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Use radio binding assay (RBA) to quantify the frequency of autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase in Mexican children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM 1).
  
  
  METHODS
  GAD antibodies were measured in 140 mestizo children with DM 1, 66 female (47.14%) and 74 male (52.8%); age 11.7 +/- 3.55 years, and range 1.10 to 18.5 years. Most patients were treated with intermediate acting insulin, and some with the former combined with regular insulin. Mean disease duration was 3.11 +/- 2.94 years, and range 1 month to 14.5 years. Once the signed written consent was obtained, a 5.0-mL blood sample was drawn, immediately centrifuged, and the serum was kept frozen to -20 degrees C until RBA evaluation was performed with a commercial kit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The anti-GAD was positive in 76 DM 1 patients (54.28%) with values from 1.11 to 156.73 U/mL, and negative in 64 (45.71%). In 19 positive anti-GAD patients, the test was repeated and levels were found between 1.38 and 156.62 U/mL. An initial control group consisting of 25 healthy non-related volunteers matched by sex and age, showed negative anti-GAD for all.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequency of anti-GAD in these patients was lower than that of the DM 1 European patients, but similar to that of Asians. This supports the heterogeneity of the etiopathogenic factors of DM 1 in different ethnic groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, National Medical Center La Raza, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México D.F. femenmor@servidor.unam.mx
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mendoza-Morfín
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Curiel-Pérez
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cárdenas-Tirado
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Montero-González
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Avila
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bravo-Ríos
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cárdenas-Cornejo
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Normandía-Almeida
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase