The prevalence of insulin autoantibodies at the onset of Type 1 diabetes is higher in males than females during adolescence

Aims/hypothesis The incidence of Type 1 diabetes shows little sex bias up to age 15 years, but more males are diagnosed in early adult life. Humoral responses to the beta cell antigen insulin could help to reveal the mechanism underlying this difference. We therefore determined the influence of sex on the prevalence of insulin autoantibodies (IAA) at diagnosis.