Autoantibodies against beta cells to predict early insulin requirements in pediatric patients with clinically diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Background: Autoimmunity has emerged as a probable disease modifier in patients with clinically diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), that is, patients who have insulin resistance, obesity, and other cardiovascular risk factors, suggesting that the presence of glutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD65), islet antigen 2 (anti-IA2), and zinc transporter 8 (anti-Zn8T) antibodies could have deleterious effects on beta cell function, causing failure and earlier requirement for insulin treatment.

Aim: To evaluate anti-GAD65, anti-IA2 and anti-Zn8T as predictors of early insulin requirement in adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of T2DM.

Methods: This was a case-control study in patients with clinically diagnosed with T2DM (68 cases and 64 controls with and without early insulin dependence respectively), male and female, aged 12-18 years.