HLA-Associated Insulin Autoantibody Formation in Newly Diagnosed Type I Diabetic Patients

To assess a possible HLA association with anti-insulin autoantibodies (IAAs) in human insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes, 51 newly diagnosed type I diabetic patients (mean age 22 ± 8 yr) were typed for HLA-DR and HLA-DQ and studied for IAAs before exogenous insulin therapy with a competitive radioimmunoassay (normal range ≤49 nU/ml). The level of IAAs in 16 patients exceeded our upper limit of normal, and 18 had high-titer islet cell antibodies (ICAs; ≥40 Juvenile Diabetes Foundation U). A striking association with HLA-DR4 (DQw3) in both the prevalence and the level of IAAs was found (IAA positivity in patients with DR4/4 vs. DR4 heterozygous vs. non-DR4: 90 vs. 29%, corrected [c] P < 0.01, vs. 5%, P_c < 0.0001; IAA positivity in patients with DR4 vs. non-DR4: 50 vs. 5%, P_c < 0.005; IAA level in patients with DR4/4 vs. DR4 heterozygous vs. non-DR4: 111 vs. 17 nU/ml, P_c < 0.01, vs. 20 nU/ml, P_c < 0.0001; IAA level in patients with DR4 vs. non-DR4: 45 vs. 20 nU/ml, P_c < 0.01). In contrast, none of the DR3⁺ subjects had IAAs above normal range, except in conjunction with DR4 (DR3 vs. non-DR3: 12 vs. 42%, P_c < 0.05). However, there was no significant relationship between DR3 and IAAs after correcting for the number of DR4 alleles. No relationship was seen between age of onset, IAA level, and HLA typing in our population, and no relationship was found between ICA positivity and HLA antigens. These data suggest that humoral in predominantlu DR4⁺ patients responding to insulin before exogenous insulin treatment.