The prevalence of anti-GAD65 autoantibodies in children recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in Duhok City.

Abstract

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a common chronic childhood illness characterized by persistent hyperglycemia and glycosuria, caused by an insufficient amount of insulin due to the immune system attacking b cells in the pancreas. Autoantibodies against GAD65 are present in most individuals with T1DM. They can manifest years before the onset of the illness, acting as a prognostic indicator for the development of autoimmune diabetes. The study's objective was to evaluate glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and to determine the prevalence of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 autoantibodies (anti-GAD65) in newly diagnosed Kurdish children with T1DM.

Material and methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 148 patients with T1DM, aged 1-18 years, in Duhok, Kurdistan, Iraq. The study used blood glucose tests, anti-GAD65 antibodies, and HbA1c levels. The University of Zakho's ethical committee approved the study, and IBM SPSS 26 version software was used to analyze the data.

Results: The overall rate of autoantibody positivity was 70 (47.3%), while 78 (52.7%) did not have anti-GAD65 antibodies. The HbA1c was 11.33 ±2.33% on average among individuals who had just received a T1DM diagnosis. The study found no statistically significant association between anti-GAD65 antibody status and HbA1c levels. Although a trend toward higher HbA1c values was observed in anti-GAD65-negative patients, this did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions: The study found autoantibody positivity in all age groups, with young people having the highest percentage. The results of this study should prompt further statistical analyses to support or negate the results of this study on a larger population scale.