Studies on the frequency and associations of islet-cell antibodies in juvenile diabetes mellitus.

Ninety-six juvenile onset type diabetics showed an increase in the frequency of HLA B8 and B15 and a decrease in frequency of HLA B7 antigens. Sixty-four maturity onset diabetics showed no disturbance in the frequency of these antigens. Fifty-four of the juvenile onset type diabetics, with an average duration of disease of 3.2 years were tested for the presence of islet cell antibodies (ICAs). Thirty-two percent were positive, the frequency decreasing from 70% in those patients tested within one year of diagnosis to 0.5% in those patients tested more than 5 years after diagnosis. No correlation was found between HLA type and the frequency of ICAs, but there was an increase in other autoantibodies in B15 positive patients. Preliminary absorption studies suggest a cross reactivity of ICAs and Coxsackie B4 virus.