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Journal of Medicine
© Co py r ight, 2 0 0 0 , by t he Ma s s ac h u s e t t s Me d ic a l S o c ie t y
V O L U ME 3 4 2 F E B R U A R Y 3, 2000 NUMBER 5
AKIHISA IMAGAWA, M.D., TOSHIAKI HANAFUSA, M.D., PH.D., JUN-ICHIRO MIYAGAWA, M.D., PH.D.,
AND YUJI MATSUZAWA, M.D., PH.D., FOR THE OSAKA IDDM STUDY GROUP*
T
ABSTRACT YPE 1 diabetes mellitus is caused by loss of
Background and Methods Type 1 diabetes mellitus insulin-secreting capacity due to selective
is now classified as autoimmune (type 1A) or idio- autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic
pathic (type 1B), but little is known about the latter. beta cells.1,2 Insulitis (i.e., mononuclear-cell
We classified 56 consecutive Japanese adults with infiltration of the pancreatic islets) is the direct result
type 1 diabetes according to the presence or absence of the autoimmune process. Antibodies to the cyto-
of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (their pres- plasm of islet cells, glutamic acid decarboxylase, in-
ence is a marker of autoimmunity) and compared their sulin, and tyrosine phosphatase–like protein (IA-2 or
clinical, serologic, and pathological characteristics.
IA-2b), which appear before the clinical onset of dia-
Results We divided the patients into three groups:
36 patients with positive tests for serum glutamic acid
betes, are good markers of the autoimmune process.1,2
decarboxylase antibodies, 9 with negative tests for Several lines of evidence have suggested that auto-
serum glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies and immunity is not the only cause of beta-cell destruc-
glycosylated hemoglobin values higher than 11.5 per- tion. We and others have described young patients
cent, and 11 with negative tests for serum glutamic who presented with the abrupt onset of symptoms of
acid decarboxylase antibodies and glycosylated he- hyperglycemia and who were prone to the develop-
moglobin values lower than 8.5 percent. In compar- ment of ketoacidosis, as is characteristic of patients
ison with the first two groups, the third group had a with type 1 diabetes, but who did not have insulitis on
shorter mean duration of symptoms of hyperglyce- either biopsy3-5 or autopsy.6,7 Furthermore, at least 10
mia (4.0 days), a higher mean plasma glucose con- percent of patients with newly diagnosed type 1 di-
centration (773 mg per deciliter [43 mmol per liter])
in spite of lower glycosylated hemoglobin values, di-
abetes do not have any diabetes-related antibodies.8,9
minished urinary excretion of C peptide, a more se- The American Diabetes Association and the World
vere metabolic disorder (with ketoacidosis), higher Health Organization have proposed that type 1 diabe-
serum pancreatic enzyme concentrations, and an ab- tes be subdivided into autoimmune (immune-medi-
sence of islet-cell, IA-2, and insulin antibodies. Immu- ated) diabetes (type 1A) and idiopathic diabetes with
nohistologic studies of pancreatic-biopsy specimens beta-cell destruction (type 1B).10,11 However, the spe-
from three patients with negative tests for glutamic cific characteristics of the idiopathic subtype are large-
acid decarboxylase antibodies and low glycosylated ly unknown. In a previous study,5 we found that the
hemoglobin values revealed T-lymphocyte–predom- presence of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies,
inant infiltrates in the exocrine pancreas but no insuli- but not islet-cell antibodies, was closely correlated
tis and no evidence of acute or chronic pancreatitis.
with direct evidence of insulitis in patients with type 1
Conclusions Some patients with idiopathic type 1
diabetes have a nonautoimmune, fulminant disorder
diabetes. In this report, we describe the results of
characterized by the absence of insulitis and of dia- detailed clinical and histologic studies of patients with
betes-related antibodies, a remarkably abrupt onset, idiopathic type 1 diabetes.
and high serum pancreatic enzyme concentrations.
(N Engl J Med 2000;342:301-7.)
©2000, Massachusetts Medical Society. From the Department of Internal Medicine and Molecular Science,
Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan. Address re-
print requests to Dr. Imagawa at the Department of Internal Medicine and
Molecular Science, Graduate School of Medicine, B5, Osaka University, 2-2
Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan, or at imagawa@imed2.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.
*Other members of the Osaka IDDM Study Group are listed in the Ap-
pendix.
METHODS 20
Patients
We studied 56 consecutive patients with type 1 diabetes who
came to our hospitals within one year after receiving the diagnosis,
during the period from 1994 to 1998. All 56 patients met the cri- 18
teria of the American Diabetes Association for type 1 diabetes —
that is, pancreatic beta-cell destruction as the primary cause of the
disorder and a tendency toward ketoacidosis10,11 — as determined
by at least two physicians independently. Patients who had a period
of remission that lasted for six months or more after the diagnosis 16
had been made were excluded.12 None of the enrolled patients con-
sumed moderate or large amounts of alcohol. The study was ap-
proved by the ethics committee of Osaka University Medical Hos-
302 · Febr u ar y 3 , 2 0 0 0
TABLE 1. CHARACTERISTICS OF 56 PATIENTS WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES, ACCORDING TO WHETHER THE TEST
FOR GLUTAMIC ACID DECARBOXYLASE ANTIBODIES (GAD) WAS POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE.*
GAD-NEGATIVE, GAD-NEGATIVE,
GAD-POSITIVE HIGH HbA1C LOW HbA1C
CHARACTERISTIC (N=36) (N=9) (N=11) P VALUE
GAD-NEGATIVE,
GAD-NEGATIVE, LOW HbA1C VS.
LOW HbA1C VS. GAD-NEGATIVE,
GAD-POSITIVE HIGH HbA1C
*Data were obtained at the time of diagnosis. Plus–minus values are means ±SD. To convert the values for glucose to millimoles per liter,
multiply by 0.056. To convert the values for C peptide to millimoles per day, multiply by 0.33. HbA1c denotes glycosylated hemoglobin.
†The body-mass index was calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.
‡All affected relatives had type 2 diabetes except that one relative of each of two patients in the antibody-positive group had type 1 diabetes.
§Values for amylase and elastase I are expressed as multiples of the upper limit of the normal range.
cells were stained with 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole (Dakopatts, Glos- and low glycosylated hemoglobin values was only 4.0
trup, Denmark). days. This group had a significantly higher mean glu-
Statistical Analysis cose concentration, despite lower glycosylated hemo-
Statistical analysis was performed with Student’s t-test or Fish-
globin values, and a significantly lower mean value
er’s exact probability test, as appropriate. for urinary C-peptide excretion than did the other
two groups. All the patients with negative antibody
RESULTS tests and low glycosylated hemoglobin values had di-
Serum glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies were abetic ketoacidosis, as compared with 20 percent of
detected in 36 patients (64 percent) and were not de- the patients with positive antibody tests and 40 per-
tected in 20 patients (36 percent). The patients with- cent of the patients with negative tests and high gly-
out glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies were di- cosylated hemoglobin values. Serum pancreatic en-
vided into two subgroups according to the initial zyme concentrations were high in all the patients who
glycosylated hemoglobin value: those with values of had negative antibody tests and low glycosylated he-
less than 8.5 percent, and those with values of more moglobin values but not in the other two groups
than 11.5 percent (Fig. 1). (Table 1), and the values fell to the normal range in
The clinical characteristics of the patients with 3 to 38 days (median, 17).
positive tests for glutamic acid decarboxylase antibod- All patients received multiple insulin injections, with
ies and those of the two groups of patients with neg- a higher mean dose during the first year in the group
ative tests are shown in Table 1. The mean duration of patients with negative antibody tests and low gly-
of hyperglycemic symptoms in the patients with neg- cosylated hemoglobin values than in the other two
ative tests for glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies groups (Table 1). Diabetes-related antibodies were not
TABLE 3. CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 11 PATIENTS WITH NEGATIVE TESTS FOR GLUTAMIC ACID
DECARBOXYLASE ANTIBODIES AND LOW GLYCOSYLATED HEMOGLOBIN (HbA1C) VALUES
AT THE ONSET OF DIABETES.*
*To convert the values for glucose to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.056. To convert the values for C peptide to
nanomoles per day, multiply by 0.33. ND denotes not determined.
†The body-mass index (BMI) was calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.
‡Duration refers to the period of hyperglycemic symptoms before the diagnosis of diabetes.
§Values are expressed as multiples of the upper limit of the normal range.
304 · Febr u ar y 3 , 2 0 0 0
A B
C D
E F
G H
306 · Febr u ar y 3 , 2 0 0 0
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Supported by grants from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, ferent contribution of HLA-DR and -DQ genes in susceptibility and re-
and Sciences and the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare. sistance to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Tissue Antigens
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