ABH-secretion and Lewis red cell groups in diabetic and normal subjects from Ethiopia.

The possible relationship between Lewis red cell groups and secretor status and diabetes mellitus has been investigated in diabetic patients from Northwestern Ethiopia. The Lewis negative phenotype [Le(a-b-)] showed similar frequencies in diabetics and a control sample. Determination of the secretor status revealed a tendency to higher non-secretor rates in diabetics, particularly of the insulin-dependent type, in comparison with non-diabetic Ethiopians. A lack of effective immune protection from secretory IgA antibodies as a plausible explanation for the relationship between non-secretor status and IDDM is discussed. However, the available data from our study showed no statistically significant association between secretor state and IDDM. Without a detailed genetic characterization of our diabetic patients (HLA association data) it will be difficult to define precisely the postulated contribution of the Se gene to the aetiopathogenesis of IDDM.