[Islet-cell antibodies in juvenile diabetes mellitus (author's transl)].

Islet-cell antibodies were detected in 11 of the 67 patients with juvenile diabetes mellitus. These antibodies reacted with all endocrine-islet cells, although higher serum dilutions and different staining intensity of the various islet cells were noted. Antibody formation to islet antigens was found to be closely associated with HLA B8 (P = 0.03). However, there was no relationship between islet-cell antibody production and insulin antibody formation. The demonstration of pancreatic islet-cell antibodies, particularly in HLA B8-positive juvenile diabetics, constitutes further circumstantial evidence of a genetically determined auto-immune pathogenesis in some patients with juvenile diabetes mellitus.