Gliadin, endomysial and thyroid antibodies in patients with latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA)

Abstract

SUMMARY Latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA) manifested after the age of 35 is characterized by the presence of disease-specific autoantibodies (anti-glutamate decarboxylase GADAb, anti-IA2Ab). However, autoimmunity in Type 1 diabetes mellitus is not targeted only to pancreatic beta-cells. No data have so far been published concerning the antibodies associated with other autoimmune disease in LADA patients. The presence of anti-thyroglobulin (TGAb), anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb), anti-gliadin IgA (AGAAb) and IgG (AGGAb) and endomysial antibodies (EMAb) in sera of 68 diabetics typed as LADA was compared with the antibody presence in sera of 85 patients with Type 2 diabetes. We found a significantly higher occurrence of gliadin antibodies in LADA patients: the rate of AGGAb was 19·1% in comparison with 3·5% in the T2DM group (P = 0·0026), the rate of AGAAb was 13·2% in comparison with 3·5% (P = 0·035). The prevalence of EMAb was very low in both groups (1·5% and 0). The two groups differed significantly in the TPOAb rate: 22·1% in LADA compared to 9·4% in T2DM (P = 0·04), whereas no significant difference was found in the presence of TGAb (8·8% and 3·5%, P = 0·187). In comparison with T2DM patients, LADA patients were found to express higher antibody activity against gluten-related antigens and against TPO.