title: Evaluation of serum IgA levels in Iranian patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: An increased prevalence of immunoglobulin (Ig) A deficiency has been documented in a number of autoimmune diseases; however, its association with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM1) is a subject of debate. This study was performed to evaluate serum IgA levels in a group of pediatric patients with DM1. Three hundred patients with mean age of 12.6 ± 6.7 years were enrolled in this study. Serum IgA and other immunoglobulins levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. Mean serum IgA level of patients was 271.0 ± 141.4 mg/dl. Only two patients had IgA deficiency (IgA < 10 mg/dl), who were two boys with ages of 9 and 10 years. Although associated autoimmune disorders were found in a number of patients with DM1, no other autoimmune disorder was detected in these two patients with IgA deficiency. Serum levels of all other immunoglobulins were normal. Serum IgA levels did not significantly differ by grouping the patients according to age variation, sex distribution, disease duration, and associated disorders. There was no significant correlation between IgA levels and hemoglobin A1c. This study showed the prevalence of IgA deficiency in Iranian patients with DM1 as 0.7% (1:150), which is much higher than reported prevalences in general populations. Further studies are needed for better understanding the possible etiologies of increased IgA deficiency in DM1 and its effects on diabetes control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sayarifard
authors.forename: Asghar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aghamohammadi
authors.forename: Mohammad Taghi
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Haghi-Ashtiani
authors.forename: Asadollah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rajab
authors.forename: Heshmat
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Irani
authors.forename: Javad H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ahmadian
authors.forename: Ahya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaridoost
authors.forename: Nima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Parvaneh
authors.forename: Nima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rezaei
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rabbani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017098:IgA Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood*; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D007070:Immunoglobulin A