Volume 1 number 1 Summer 2003
Special issue for the abstracts of the 7th Pan Arab Conference on Diabetes
PACD7 , 25 – 28 March 2003 Cairo

 Abstract Number : 25
Autoimmunity in Omani Type2 diabetic patients.

M. Al-Maskari and Adel Al-Naqdy
College of Medicine; Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat; Oman.

Autoimmunity is a common feature in typ1 diabetes, while type 2 diabetes is a non-Autoimmune disease. Autoimmune thyroid diseases has been reported in type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM), however little is known of the risk for thyroid Autoimmunity in subjects with type 2 DM. Glutamic Acid decarboxylase (GAD65) autoantibodies are gaining recognition as markers of Autoimmunity in type1 diabetes and in a subset of type 2diabetes so called latent Autoimmune diabetes of the adults (LADA). Type 2 (GADab+) diabetes shows failure to oral hypoglycemic agents and requires earlier insulin therapy. GAD65 autoantibodies and thyroid Autoimmunity have been reported with various frequencies in some ethnic groups with type 2 diabetes, while the prevalence of these in Oman patients is not known. In addition the association between GADab+ and thyroid Autoimmunity in type 2 diabetes is less clear.

We studied 100 Omani patients referred to our outpatient diabetic clinic with newly diagnosed type2 diabetes for the presence of serum antibodies to Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65), anti thyroglobulin (ATA) and thyroid microsomal (ATMA) by the use of commercially available kits. Results were compared with those from 50 patients with type 1 DM and 50 normal individuals that were used as negative controls.
Results showed that type 2 DM had a significantly higher level (22%) of anti-GAD65 antibodies than in normal controls (14%) though is less than that found in type 1 DM (40%). Higher prevalence of ATMA was noted in both types 1 and 2 (14% & 15% respectively) when compared to its levels in normal (7%). There were no differences in ATA values among the three groups studied (4%, 5% & 4%). 
This study confirms the presence of LADA and the association of thyroid antibodies and GAD65 in Omani patients with clinical diagnosis of type2 DM. 

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