Autoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase and 21-hydroxylase in Brazilian patients with type 1 diabetes or autoimmune thyroid diseases

Autoimmune thyroid diseases (ATD) are often associated with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and Addison's disease (AD), characterizing the autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome. We evaluated the frequency of autoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase isoform 65 (GAD65Ab) and 21-hydroxylase (21OHAb) in the sera of 65 [58 females (F)/7 males (M), 17-70 yr] patients with Graves' disease (GD) and 47 (45 F/2 M, 12-77 yr) with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), none of whom had either diabetes or AD. The sera of 30 recently diagnosed T1DM patients (16 M/14 F, 1-39 yr) and of 97 (54 F/43 M, 7-69 yr) healthy controls were also examined. GAD65Ab were detected in the sera of 18 (60%) T1DM, 8 (12%) GD and in none of the HT patients or the controls (p = 0.03 for GD vs HT, p = 0.002 for GD vs controls, and p0.001 for GD vs T1DM). 21OHAb were detected in the sera of 2 (3%) GD, 1 (2%) HT and in none of the T1DM patients or the controls. GAD65Ab levels were significantly lower in GD than in T1DM patients (median: -0.06 vs 0.28, p0.001). Six of the 8 GD GAD65Ab-positive patients submitted to an intravenous glucose tolerance test showed no diminished first phase insulin secretion. All 21OHAb positive patients had normal basal cortisol and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), normal cortisol response after ACTH stimulation, but high plasma renin activity. In conclusion, despite the genetic diversity of the Brazilian population, the frequency of GAD65Ab and 21OHAb in our patients is similar to that observed in other countries. GAD65Ab were more prevalent in GD than in HT patients, suggesting a difference in the immune response between these disorders. Long-term follow-up is necessary to determine the clinical relevance of these autoantibodies in the Brazilian population.