title: The age of onset of diabetes and glutamic acid decarboxylase titer measured long after diagnosis are associated with the clinical stage of slow-onset type 1 diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Diabetes mellitus is divided into 3 clinical stages: not insulin requiring, insulin requiring for control, and insulin requiring for survival. We investigated the clinical characteristics of patients with slow-onset type 1 diabetes (T1D) to examine which clinical factors influence the clinical stage.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred fifty patients with slow-onset T1D were divided into 3 groups based on disease stage, and clinical features were compared among these groups. The patients were also divided into 4 groups based on the age of onset and the glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GAD-Ab) titer, which was measured long after diagnosis (mean, 9.2 years). The frequencies of the 3 stages were compared among these 4 groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age of onset and the log (GAD-Ab) titer differed significantly among the 3 stages. The number of patients not requiring insulin was significantly higher and the number of those requiring insulin for survival was significantly lower in the group in which the age of onset was ≥50 and the log (GAD-Ab) titer <0.6, while the opposite pattern was observed in the group in which the age of onset was <50 and the log(GAD-Ab) titer ≥0.6.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the combination of the age of onset and GAD-Ab titer measured long after diagnosis might predict the clinical stage of slow-onset T1D.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Ichinomiya Municipal Hospital, Ichinomiya 491-8558, Japan. katahira-0034@umin.net
authors.forename: Masahito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katahira
authors.forename: Mizuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hanakita
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Segawa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase