title: Prevalence and features of pancreatic islet cell autoimmunity in women with gestational diabetes from different ethnic groups.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence and characteristics of islet cell autoimmunity amongst women with gestational diabetes selected from South Asian and Afro-Caribbean as well as European populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional retrospective survey of subject cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred and twenty-one women with a recent history of gestational diabetes (173 European, 86 South Asian and 62 Afro-Caribbean), a median (range) of 22 (1-150) months postpartum.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Antibodies to Glutamic acid decarboxylase were found in 13 (4%) of these women. There was no difference in the prevalence of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase positivity between the three ethnic groups (European 4.6%, South Asian 3.5%, Afro-Caribbean 3.2%). Anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase positive women were leaner than anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase negative women (body mass index, median (upper-lower quartile) 23.9 (22.5-26.7) vs 26.6 (23.4-30.5)kg/m2, P = 0.03, P = 0.049 allowing for ethnicity). There was no difference between glutamic acid decarboxylase-positive and glutamic acid decarboxylase-negative women for age, family history of diabetes, waist/hip ratio, prevalence of insulin treatment during pregnancy, postpartum glucose status, lipid profile and indices of insulin action and beta-cell function.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Markers of islet cell autoimmunity are found as frequently in gestational diabetes women of South Asian and Afro-Caribbean origin, as they are in European subjects. Identification of future risk of type 1 diabetes is relevant to the planning of clinical management and intervention strategies in women with gestational diabetes of all major ethnic groups.
authors.affiliation: Section of Endocrinology and Metabolic Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine at St Mary's Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kousta
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Anyaoku
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: McCarthy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001210:Asia, Southeastern / Q000208:ethnology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000276:immunology; D005060:Europe / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology*; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014900:West Indies / Q000208:ethnology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase