Predictive value of autoantibodies to IA-2 for insulin requirements in Japanese subjects with type 1 diabetes

GAD autoantibodies (GADAs) are frequently detected before the onset of diabetes and indicate the development of insulin dependency (1). Phosphatase-like protein IA-2 antibodies (IA-2As) in combination with GADA have been shown to improve the positive predictive value for type 1 diabetes (2). However, the presence of IA-2A and its clinical usefulness in Japanese type 1 diabetic patients have not been fully determined. Here we report the significance of serum antibodies to IA-2A and GADA to predict the insulin requirement in Japanese patients with type 1 diabetes. We studied 101 Japanese patients with type …