[Variations in indicators of humoral immunity in type I diabetes]

Abstract

The authors examined 21 patients with type I diabetes within 30 days after establishment of the diagnosis and during the first year of the disease. In 17 they detected autoantibodies against insulin at the time of assessment of the diagnosis before administration of the therapeutic insulin preparation. Fourteen patients had antibodies against the surface of islet cells (ICSA), the titre of which declined during the first year of the disease. The serum immunoglobulin level (IgG, IgM and IgA) was on average within the normal range; however, in two patients at the time of establishment of the diagnosis and in three patients after one month IgG was above normal, in eight patients the IgM level was at the time of establishment of the diagnosis above normal, one month later this was the case only in two patients and in four patients the IgA level was permanently low. During the investigation period the level of C-3 and C-4 components of the complement declined steadily and the level of circulating immune complexes increased. The mentioned deviations were not associated with the concurrent infectious disease at the time of establishment of the diagnosis or with metabolic indicators. The patients were treated the whole time by an intensified insulin regime--principle basal bolus or continuous subcutaneous infusion of single component insulin.