High prevalence of anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) antibodies in employees at a polychlorinated biphenyl production factory.
An increased prevalence of thyroid antibodies was seen in employees of a factory that formerly produced polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In this study, the authors expand the evaluation of possible long-term PCB effects by comparing the prevalence of glutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) antibodies with the development of diabetes mellitus. The sera of 240 factory employees and 704 control subjects were analyzed. Anti-GAD antibody values exceeded 1.20 U/ml in all employees (40.4%), was 4 times higher (p < .001) than in all controls (10.5%), and were 5 times higher in employees aged 51-60 yr (53.2%) than in age-matched controls (10.5%) (p < .001). Although the prevalence of diabetes could not be determined from this retrospective study, this is the first report of a possible relationship between xenobiotics and the prevalence of anti-GAD antibodies, and it supports the concept of an immunomodulatory effect of PCBs. However, such antibodies may be present decades before the development of clinical diabetes, and not all anti-GAD antibody-positive individuals become diabetic. Presently, it is unknown whether there is an increased prevalence of diabetes among the former factory employees.
Langer
Pavel
P
Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia. ueenlang@savba.savba.sk
Tajtáková
Mária
M
Guretzki
Hans-Joachim
HJ
Kocan
Anton
A
Petrík
Ján
J
Chovancová
Jana
J
Drobná
Beáta
B
Jursa
Stanislav
S
Pavúk
Marián
M
Trnovec
Tomás
T
Seböková
Elena
E
Klimes
Iwar
I
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology / Q000506:poisoning*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D018154:Slovakia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology / Q000506:poisoning*
D001323:Autoantibodies; D015262:Xenobiotics; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase