IgA bovine serum albumin antibodies are increased in newly diagnosed patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, but the increase is not an independent risk factor for diabetes |
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Authors: | T Saukkonen E Savilahti M Landin-Olsson G Dahlquist |
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Affiliation: | The Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki, Finland;Department of Internal Medicine, University of Lund, Sweden;Department of Paediatrics and Department of Epidemiology and Health Care Research, University of Umeå, Sweden |
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Abstract: | We studied the significance of antibodies to bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a risk factor for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in a case-control setting. IgA and IgG antibodies to BSA and ovalbumin were measured from sera of 104 patients with newly diagnosed IDDM and of 111 matched controls by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients with diabetes had significantly higher levels of IgA antibodies to BSA ( p = 0.003); IgG antibodies also tended to be higher ( p = 0.08). Levels of IgA antibodies to ovalbumin were similar in the patients and controls, but IgG antibodies were higher in controls ( p = 0.02). When antibodies to BSA, β-lactoglobulin, whole cow's milk and islet cell antibodies were studied as risk determinants of IDDM in a multivariate, logistic regression analysis, IgA antibodies to β-lactoglobulin and to cow's milk were independently associated with the risk ( p = 0.037 and 0.048, respectively), while antibodies to BSA were not a significant risk factor. The results question the role of BSA as a cross-reacting antigen with pancreatic β-cell surface proteins in the aetiology of IDDM. |
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Keywords: | β-Lactoglobulin antibodies bovine serum albumin antibodies children cow's milk antibodies insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus islet cell antibodies |
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