Metabolic Characteristics of Recently Diagnosed Adult-Onset Autoimmune Diabetes Mellitus

Depression symptoms, wellbeing, health-related quality of life, and diabetes-related distress in novel subtypes of recent-onset diabetes in Germany: a 5-year observational follow-up study

BACKGROUND

The subjective experiences of individuals living with diabetes is commonly assessed with patient-reported outcomes (PROs; eg, depression symptoms, wellbeing, health-related quality of life [HRQOL], and diabetes-related distress). Cluster analyses have identified novel diabetes subtypes differing in phenotypic and metabolic characteristics. We aimed to investigate associations between these subtypes and PROs and whether subtype predicted PROs 5 years later.

METHODS

Baseline (<12 months after a diabetes diagnosis) and 5-year follow-up data were collected from German Diabetes Study (GDS) participants. Multiple regressions were applied to analyse associations between diabetes subtypes and depression symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), wellbeing (WHO-5), HRQOL (SF-36), and diabetes-related distress (Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale).

FINDINGS

Cluster analyses at baseline (n=1391) identified participants with severe autoimmune diabetes (SAID, 417 [30%]), severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD, 33 [2%]), severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD, 150 [11%]), mild obesity-related diabetes (MOD, 354 [25%]), and mild age-related diabetes (MARD, 437 [31%]). At baseline, multiple regression analyses showed that participants with SIRD had higher depression symptoms than participants with MARD and lower physical HRQOL than all other subtypes. Participants with SAID reported higher depression symptoms and lower mental HRQOL than participants with MARD, higher physical HRQOL than participants with MARD and MOD, and higher diabetes-related distress than most other subtypes. At the 5-year follow-up, clustering predicted no statistically significant changes in PROs after adjustment for multiple testing, whereas descriptive analyses demonstrated that individuals with SIRD were more likely to experience clinically relevant depression symptoms (16% vs 6%) and low wellbeing (31% vs 14%), respectively, than individuals with MARD.

INTERPRETATION

Diabetes subtypes already differ in PROs at diabetes diagnosis. Our analyses had limited predictive power during follow-up. However, our findings suggest that clustering could predict future changes in depression symptoms.

FUNDING

The GDS was initiated and financed by the German Diabetes Center, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Culture and Science of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to the German Center for Diabetes Research.

TRANSLATION

For the German translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

BCG Vaccination-Associated Lower HbA1c and Increased CD25 Expression on CD8+ T Cells in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes in Ghana

BCG vaccination affects other diseases beyond tuberculosis by unknown-potentially immunomodulatory-mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that BCG vaccination administered during overt type 1 diabetes (T1D) improved glycemic control and affected immune and metabolic parameters. Here, we comprehensively characterized Ghanaian T1D patients with or without routine neonatal BCG vaccination to identify vaccine-associated alterations. Ghanaian long-term T1D patients (n = 108) and matched healthy controls (n = 214) were evaluated for disease-related clinical, metabolic, and immunophenotypic parameters and compared based on their neonatal BCG vaccination status. The majority of study participants were BCG-vaccinated at birth and no differences in vaccination rates were detected between the study groups. Notably, glycemic control metrics, i.e., HbA1c and IDAA1c, showed significantly lower levels in BCG-vaccinated as compared to unvaccinated patients. Immunophenotype comparisons identified higher expression of the T cell activation marker CD25 on CD8+ T cells from BCG-vaccinated T1D patients. Correlation analysis identified a negative correlation between HbA1c levels and CD25 expression on CD8+ T cells. In addition, we observed fractional increases in glycolysis metabolites (phosphoenolpyruvate and 2/3-phosphoglycerate) in BCG-vaccinated T1D patients. These results suggest that neonatal BCG vaccination is associated with better glycemic control and increased activation of CD8+ T cells in T1D patients.

Exploration of Immune Targets for Type 1 Diabetes and Latent Autoimmune Disease Immunotherapy

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that destroys pancreatic beta cells, which produce insulin in the islets of Langerhans. The risk of developing T1D is influenced by environmental factors, genetics, and autoantibodies. Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a type of T1D that is genetically and phenotypically distinct from classic T1D. This review summarizes the accumulated information on the risk factors for T1D and LADA, and immunotherapy trials that offer insights into potential future combined therapeutic interventions for both T1D and LADA to slow the rate of islet cell loss and preserve beta cell function. Future research should also focus on improving intervention doses, conducting more thorough examinations of intervention responders, and/or combining minimally effective single-target immunotherapies to slow the rate of islet cell loss and preserve beta cell function.

[Diagnosis and insulin therapy of type 1 diabetes mellitus (Update 2023)]

This guideline summarizes diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, including accompanying autoimmune disorders, insulin therapy regimens and glycemic target values.

Clinical characteristics and cardiovascular risk profile in children and adolescents with latent autoimmune diabetes: Results from the German/Austrian prospective diabetes follow-up registry

AIMS

To characterize children and adolescents with latent autoimmune diabetes of the young (LADY), and to assess the utility of classifying individuals as LADYs regarding their cardiovascular (CV) risk factors.

METHODS

Data from 25,520 individuals (age at diagnosis <18 years) of the Prospective Diabetes Follow-up Registry Diabetes-Patienten Verlaufsdokumentation (DPV) were analyzed. LADY was defined as positivity of ≥one islet autoantibody (iAb+) and an insulin-free interval of ≥6 months upon diabetes diagnosis. LADYs were compared to iAb+ individuals immediately requiring insulin ("immunologically confirmed" type 1 diabetes, T1DM), iAb-/Ins- individuals ("classical" T2DM) and to those clinically defined as T2DM (iAbs not measured).

RESULTS

Clinical characteristics of LADYs (n = 299) fell in between those with T1DM (n = 24,932) and T2DM (iAb-/Ins-, n = 152) or suspected T2DM (iAB not measured, n = 137). Stratifying LADYs according to their clinical diagnosis however revealed two distinct populations, highly resembling either T1DM or T2DM. Particularly, CV risk profile, precisely prevalence rates of arterial hypertension and dyslipidemia, was significantly higher in LADYs clinically classified as T2DM compared to LADYs classified as T1DM, and did not differ from those with "classical" T2DM.

CONCLUSIONS

In terms of CV risk, classifying children and adolescents with diabetes as LADYs provides no additional benefit. Instead, clinical diagnosis seems to better assign individuals to appropriate risk groups for increased CV risk profiles.

A novel diabetes typology: towards precision diabetology from pathogenesis to treatment

The current classification of diabetes, based on hyperglycaemia, islet-directed antibodies and some insufficiently defined clinical features, does not reflect differences in aetiological mechanisms and in the clinical course of people with diabetes. This review discusses evidence from recent studies addressing the complexity of diabetes by proposing novel subgroups (subtypes) of diabetes. The most widely replicated and validated approach identified, in addition to severe autoimmune diabetes, four subgroups designated severe insulin-deficient diabetes, severe insulin-resistant diabetes, mild obesity-related diabetes and mild age-related diabetes subgroups. These subgroups display distinct patterns of clinical features, disease progression and onset of comorbidities and complications, with severe insulin-resistant diabetes showing the highest risk for cardiovascular, kidney and fatty liver diseases. While it has been suggested that people in these subgroups would benefit from stratified treatments, RCTs are required to assess the clinical utility of any reclassification effort. Several methodological and practical issues also need further study: the statistical approach used to define subgroups and derive recommendations for diabetes care; the stability of subgroups over time; the optimal dataset (e.g. phenotypic vs genotypic) for reclassification; the transethnic generalisability of findings; and the applicability in clinical routine care. Despite these open questions, the concept of a new classification of diabetes has already allowed researchers to gain more insight into the colourful picture of diabetes and has stimulated progress in this field so that precision diabetology may become reality in the future.

Adult-onset autoimmune diabetes

Adult-onset autoimmune (AOA) diabetes pathophysiology starts with immune changes, followed by dysglycaemia and overt disease. AOA diabetes can occur as classic type 1 diabetes when associated with severe loss of insulin secretion. More frequently, it is diagnosed as latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, a slowly progressing form with late onset, a long period not requiring insulin, and it is often misdiagnosed as type 2 diabetes. As its clinical presentation varies remarkably and immune markers often lack specificity, it is challenging to classify each case ad hoc, especially when insulin treatment is not required at diagnosis. Proper care of AOA diabetes aims to prevent complications and to improve quality of life and life expectancy. To achieve these goals, attention should be paid to lifestyle factors, with the aid of pharmacological therapies properly tailored to each individual clinical setting. Given the heterogeneity of the disease, choosing the right therapy for AOA diabetes is challenging. Most of the trials testing disease-modifying therapies for autoimmune diabetes are conducted in people with childhood onset, whereas non-insulin diabetes therapies have mostly been studied in the larger population with type 2 diabetes. More randomized controlled trials of therapeutic agents in AOA diabetes are needed.

Effects of Berberine Plus Inulin on Diabetes Care in Patients With Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a heterogeneous form of diabetes, characterized by autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β-cells as well as insulin resistance and is triggered by environmental factors in the context of genetic susceptibility. Berberine (BBR), a small alkaloid isolated from medicinal plants, has antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects. Inulin is a common prebiotic that has been shown to improve glycemic control, alter the gut microbiota and suppress inflammation. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of oral BBR and inulin combined with insulin therapy on diabetes care in patients with LADA.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We will conduct a single-center, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. A total of 240 patients with LADA who have started insulin therapy will be randomly allocated either to the intervention or control group. After a 1-week run-in period, they will complete a 3-month treatment of BBR alone, inulin plus BBR, inulin alone, or placebo. Anthropometric and clinical data will be collected at five time points: baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months from baseline. The primary outcome was the change in glycated hemoglobin levels. Dynamic blood glucose parameters, β-cell function, and gut microbiota, as well as adverse events and quality of life will be monitored.

DISCUSSION

Glycemic control is critical for preventing the progression of diabetes. Although insulin is a recommended treatment for patients with LADA, there are currently no drugs that can effectively prevent the progressive destruction of pancreatic β-cells or maintain their function. Several studies have found that when berberine and prebiotics are used alone, they have beneficial metabolic effects. This clinical research protocol will assess the efficacy of the combined treatment of berberine plus inulin and provide new ideas for future pharmacological research and clinical practices in diabetes care and glycemic control for LADA patients.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of National Clinical Research Center of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University (approval number: 2021-046).

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04698330.

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults: a focus on β-cell protection and therapy

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is a heterogeneous disease sharing some phenotypic, genetic, and immunological features with both type 1 and 2 diabetes. Patients with LADA have a relatively slow autoimmune process and more residual islet β-cell function at onset, allowing a time window to protect residual islet β cells and delay or inhibit disease progression. It is crucial to discover various heterogeneous factors affecting islet β-cell function for precise LADA therapy. In this review, we first describe the natural history of LADA. Thereafter, we summarize β-cell function-related heterogeneous factors in LADA, including the age of onset, body mass index, genetic background, and immune, lifestyle, and environmental factors. In parallel, we evaluate the impact of current hypoglycemic agents and immune intervention therapies for islet β-cell protection. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of LADA treatment from the perspective of islet β-cell function protection.

Comorbidities in Recent-Onset Adult Type 1 Diabetes: A Comparison of German Cohorts

AIMS

Restrictive exclusion criteria from different study populations may limit the generalizability of the observations. By comparing two differently designed German cohorts, we assessed the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and diabetes-related complications in recent-onset adult type 1 diabetes.

METHODS

This study evaluated 1511 persons with type 1 diabetes of the prospective diabetes follow-up registry (DPV) and 268 volunteers of the prospective observational German Diabetes Study (GDS) with a known diabetes duration <1 year. Participants had similar age (36 years), sex distribution (41% female) and BMI (26 kg/m²) in both cohorts.

RESULTS

The average HbA1c was 6.4 ± 0.8% in the GDS and 7.0 ± 1.1% in the DPV. Prevalence of hypertension (24%) was similar, while more DPV participants had dyslipidemia and lipid-lowering medication than GDS participants (77% vs. 41% and 7% vs. 2%, respectively; p<0.05). Prevalence of retinopathy and nephropathy was higher in DPV compared to GDS participants (10% vs. 3% and 18% vs. 7%, respectively; p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy are the most frequent complications in type 1 diabetes, affecting up to every 10th patient within the first year after diagnosis, underlining the need for more stringent risk factor management already at the time of diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) and its Metabolic Characteristics among Yemeni Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

PURPOSE

Although there is ample data about the prevalence of diabetes in the Middle East, little is known about the prevalence and features of autoimmune diabetes in this region. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and metabolic characteristics of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) amongst Yemeni Type 2 DM patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this cross-section study, 270 Type 2 DM patients aged 30-70 years were recruited from the National Diabetes Center, Al-Thowra Hospital, Sana'a city, during the period November 2015 to August 2016. All Type 2 DM patients were diagnosed within 5 years and who did not require insulin for a minimum of 6 months following diagnosis. Levels of glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA) were measured in all patients, and LADA was diagnosed in patients testing positive for anti-GAD antibodies. Further, biochemical analysis was carried out including fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin, and lipid profile. Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and β-cell function (HOMA-β) were calculated.

RESULTS

The prevalence of LADA, as defined by GADA-positive, amongst patient with Type 2 DM was 4.4%; with no significant difference in the prevalence between male (5.8%) and female (3.4%). LADA patients were younger than GADA-negative Type 2 DM. Body mass index, waist circumference, insulin and HOMA-β were significantly lower in LADA patients, whereas triglyceride, cholesterol, HDL-c and HOMA-IR were non-significantly lower with respect to Type 2 DM. In contrast, FBG and HbA1c were significantly higher in LADA patients. Moreover, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was significantly lower in LADA as compared with Type 2 DM. Only 2 out of the 12 GADA-positive (16.7%) were on insulin treatment at the time of the study.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of LADA in Yemeni Type 2 DM is lower than many of those reported in the literature, with no gender preference. Metabolic syndrome was significantly lower in LADA patients. Patients with LADA share insulin resistance with Type 2 DM but display a more severe defect in β-cell function, thus highlighting the importance of an early diagnosis of LADA, to correctly treat LADA patients, allowing safe and effective therapies.

Adult-onset autoimmune diabetes: comparative analysis of classical and latent presentation

INTRODUCTION

Adult-onset autoimmune diabetes (AID) has two different phenotypes: classic type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), with insulin requirement just after diagnosis, and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). The purpose of this study is to characterize patients with AID followed on a tertiary centre, comparing classic T1DM and LADA.

METHODS

We collected data from patients with diabetes and positive islet autoantibodies, aged 30 years old and over at diagnosis. Patients who started insulin in the first 6 months were classified as T1DM and patients with no insulin requirements in the first 6 months were classified as LADA. Data regarding clinical presentation, autoantibodies, A1C and C-peptide at diagnosis, pharmacologic treatment and complications were analysed.

RESULTS

We included 92 patients, 46 with classic T1DM and 46 with LADA. The percentage of females was 50% in T1DM group and 52.1% in LADA group. The median age at diagnosis was 38 years (IQR-15) for T1DM and 42 years (IQR-15) for LADA (p = 0.057). The median time between diagnosis of diabetes and diagnosis of autoimmune aetiology was 0 months in T1DM group and 60 months in LADA group (p < 0.001). The mean BMI at diagnosis was 24.1 kg/m² in T1DM group and 26.1 kg/m² in LADA group (p = 0.042). In T1DM group, 67.4% of the patients had more than one positive autoantibody, comparing to 41.3% of LADA patients (p = 0.012). There was no statistical difference in what concerns to title of GAD autoantibodies, A1C and C-peptide at diagnosis of autoimmune aetiology. The presence of symptoms at diagnosis was associated with T1DM group (p < 0.001). The median daily insulin dose was 40 IU for T1DM (0.58 IU/kg) and 33.5 IU for LADA (0.57 IU/kg), with no statistical difference. LADA patients were more often under non-insulin antidiabetic drugs (p = 0.001). At 10 years follow up, 21.1% of T1DM patients and 63.3% of LADA patients had microvascular complications (p = 0.004). Diabetic nephropathy was present in 23.5% of T1DM patients and 53.3% of LADA patients (p = 0.047). At the last evaluation, 55.6% of T1DM and 82.6% of LADA patients had metabolic syndrome and this difference was independent of diabetes duration.

CONCLUSION

Patients with classic T1DM presented more often with symptoms, lower BMI and higher number of autoantibodies, which may be related to a more aggressive autoimmune process. Patients with LADA developed more frequently microvascular complications for the same disease duration, namely diabetic nephropathy, and had more often metabolic syndrome.

Past, present and future of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults

Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) is the most common form of autoimmune diabetes diagnosed in adults. Similar to type 1 diabetes, the prevalence of LADA is impacted by ethnicity and geography. LADA is characterized by β cell loss due to autoimmunity and insulin resistance and has highly heterogeneous clinical features, autoimmunity, and genetics in a glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GADA) titre-dependent manner, suggesting LADA is part of a continuum spectrum between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Although LADA is the most frequent form of autoimmune diabetes diagnosed in adults, clinical trials involving LADA are scarce. Here we review the recent advancements in LADA epidemiology, clinical features, pathogenesis, and interventions. We also highlight the environmental factors that are thought to play an important role in addition to genetics in the pathogenesis of LADA. In the future, high-throughput molecular profiles might shed light on the nature of LADA among the wide spectrum of diabetes and offer new opportunities to identify novel LADA-specific biomarkers.

Risk of diabetes-associated diseases in subgroups of patients with recent-onset diabetes: a 5-year follow-up study

BACKGROUND

Cluster analyses have proposed different diabetes phenotypes using age, BMI, glycaemia, homoeostasis model estimates, and islet autoantibodies. We tested whether comprehensive phenotyping validates and further characterises these clusters at diagnosis and whether relevant diabetes-related complications differ among these clusters, during 5-years of follow-up.

METHODS

Patients with newly diagnosed type 1 or type 2 diabetes in the German Diabetes Study underwent comprehensive phenotyping and assessment of laboratory variables. Insulin sensitivity was assessed using hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamps, hepatocellular lipid content using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, hepatic fibrosis using non-invasive scores, and peripheral and autonomic neuropathy using functional and clinical criteria. Patients were reassessed after 5 years. The German Diabetes Study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01055093, and is ongoing.

FINDINGS

1105 patients were classified at baseline into five clusters, with 386 (35%) assigned to mild age-related diabetes (MARD), 323 (29%) to mild obesity-related diabetes (MOD), 247 (22%) to severe autoimmune diabetes (SAID), 121 (11%) to severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD), and 28 (3%) to severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD). At 5-year follow-up, 367 patients were reassessed, 128 (35%) with MARD, 106 (29%) with MOD, 88 (24%) with SAID, 35 (10%) with SIRD, and ten (3%) with SIDD. Whole-body insulin sensitivity was lowest in patients with SIRD at baseline (mean 4·3 mg/kg per min [SD 2·0]) compared with those with SAID (8·4 mg/kg per min [3·2]; p<0·0001), MARD (7·5 mg/kg per min [2·5]; p<0·0001), MOD (6·6 mg/kg per min [2·6]; p=0·0011), and SIDD (5·5 mg/kg per min [2·4]; p=0·0035). The fasting adipose-tissue insulin resistance index at baseline was highest in patients with SIRD (median 15·6 [IQR 9·3-20·9]) and MOD (11·6 [7·4-17·9]) compared with those with MARD (6·0 [3·9-10·3]; both p<0·0001) and SAID (6·0 [3·0-9·5]; both p<0·0001). In patients with newly diagnosed diabetes, hepatocellular lipid content was highest at baseline in patients assigned to the SIRD cluster (median 19% [IQR 11-22]) compared with all other clusters (7% [2-15] for MOD, p=0·00052; 5% [2-11] for MARD, p<0·0001; 2% [0-13] for SIDD, p=0·0083; and 1% [0-3] for SAID, p<0·0001), even after adjustments for baseline medication. Accordingly, hepatic fibrosis at 5-year follow-up was more prevalent in patients with SIRD (n=7 [26%]) than in patients with SAID (n=5 [7%], p=0·0011), MARD (n=12 [12%], p=0·012), MOD (n=13 [15%], p=0·050), and SIDD (n=0 [0%], p value not available). Confirmed diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy was more prevalent at baseline in patients with SIDD (n=9 [36%]) compared with patients with SAID (n=10 [5%], p<0·0001), MARD (n=39 [15%], p=0·00066), MOD (n=26 [11%], p<0·0001), and SIRD (n=10 [17%], p<0·0001).

INTERPRETATION

Cluster analysis can characterise cohorts with different degrees of whole-body and adipose-tissue insulin resistance. Specific diabetes clusters show different prevalence of diabetes complications at early stages of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetic neuropathy. These findings could help improve targeted prevention and treatment and enable precision medicine for diabetes and its comorbidities.

FUNDING

German Diabetes Center, German Federal Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture and Science of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, German Diabetes Association, German Center for Diabetes Research, Research Network SFB 1116 of the German Research Foundation, and Schmutzler Stiftung.

[Diagnosis and insulin therapy of type 1 diabetes mellitus (Update 2019)]

This guideline summarizes diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, including accompanying autoimmune disorders, insulin therapy regimens and glycemic target values.

Inverse association of insulin antibody levels with insulin sensitivity in adults with Type 1 diabetes

AIMS

Insulin resistance may contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune-mediated diabetes. Antibodies against β-cell-associated molecules, comprising islet cell antigen (ICA), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and insulin, characterize the autoimmune process. Because the link between insulin resistance and autoimmunity might be relevant for disease progression and treatment, we hypothesized that insulin resistance associates positively with β-cell-directed antibodies in newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes.

METHODS

Within the German Diabetes Study, an observational study including adults with newly diagnosed diabetes, 142 adults [84 men, 58 women; age 33.1 (26.4, 41.9) years; diabetes duration 6.3 (4.2, 9.1) months] positive for at least one antibody against ICA, GAD or insulin underwent hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp tests to assess insulin sensitivity (M-value) in a cross-sectional setting.

RESULTS

Insulin-directed antibodies were inversely correlated with M-values (β = -0.039). Albeit not strong, the association persisted after adjustment for age, sex and BMI, and even after further adjustment for confounders reflecting exposure to exogenous insulin and residual β-cell secretory capacity. Correlation network-based analyses revealed a complex interaction between levels of fasting insulin and of insulin antibodies with respect to their relationship with the M-value. GAD- or ICA-directed antibodies did not correlate with insulin sensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS

In adults with recent-onset Type 1 diabetes expressing at least one β-cell-directed antibody, insulin sensitivity is inversely related to insulin antibody titres, but not to other autoantibodies. Our finding may allow for the identification of insulin resistance in adults with high levels of insulin antibodies.