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GAD65 antibodies among Greenland Inuit and its relation to glucose intolerance

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of circulating Glutamin-Acid-decarboxylase 65 antibodies in a sample of Greenlanders (Inuit) with clinically verified diabetes with samples of participants from a population survey. The study population included participants with known diabetes from a population-based study (sample 1) and patients with clinically verified diabetes in Nuuk Greenland (sample 2). In addition, age- and gender-matched participants from the population study without known diabetes were categorized in groups with (1) normal glucose tolerance test, (2) with impaired fasting glycemia, (3) with impaired glucose tolerance and (4) with previously unknown diabetes based on oral glucose tolerance test and were enrolled in the study. Presence of circulating Glutamin-Acid-decarboxylase 65 antibodies were measured in all participants. A total of 484 persons were enrolled in the study. Six individuals had circulating Glutamin-Acid-decarboxylase 65 antibodies: four of them had known diabetes, one had impaired glucose tolerance and one normal glucose tolerance test. The prevalence of circulating Glutamin-Acid-decarboxylase 65 antibodies among Greenlanders with diabetes was 4.3 % and less than 1 % among Greenlanders without diabetes (p = 0.001). The prevalence of circulating Glutamin-Acid-decarboxylase 65 antibodies among Greenlanders with and without diabetes is relatively low in a global perspective in accordance with one former study among Inuit. Autoimmune diabetes seems to be uncommon in Greenland .

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Conflict of interest

Michael Lynge Pedersen, Peter Bjerregaard and Marit Eika Jørgensen declare they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008 (5).

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Greenland Center for Health Research, University of Greenland, Nuuk, Greenland

    Michael Lynge Pedersen & Peter Bjerregaard

  2. Queen Ingrid Health Care Center, Nuuk, Greenland

    Michael Lynge Pedersen

  3. National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Peter Bjerregaard

  4. Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte, Denmark

    Marit Eika Jørgensen

Authors
  1. Michael Lynge Pedersen
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  2. Peter Bjerregaard
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  3. Marit Eika Jørgensen
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Correspondence to Michael Lynge Pedersen.

Additional information

Communicated by Massimo Porta.

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Pedersen, M.L., Bjerregaard, P. & Jørgensen, M.E. GAD65 antibodies among Greenland Inuit and its relation to glucose intolerance. Acta Diabetol 51, 641–646 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-014-0569-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-014-0569-z

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