Abstract
Background
Selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD) in Type 1 diabetes mellitus patients (T1DM) has been reported, but the exact prevalence of SIgAD in Egyptian adults with T1DM is not known.
Aim of the Work
The aim of this work was to measure serum IgA level in patients with T1DM as compared to healthy controls.
Patients and Methods
Our study was a case control study conducted on 50 adult patients with T1DM recruited from the outpatient diabetes clinic of Ain Shams University Hospitals, with 50 healthy participants of comparable age and sex included as controls. All patients enrolled in the study were subjected to detailed history taking, serum levels of IgA, IgG and IgM levels were measured by Nephlometry. Patients with low sIgG or sIgM were excluded.
Results
The mean age of patients’ group was 24.5 ± 5.3 years. We report that 30 out of 50 patients (60%) with T1DM had associated SIgAD with a female predominance (20 females (66.7%) had SIgAD compared to 10 males (33.3%)). We also found a statistically significant relationship between SIgAD and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) (P-value<0.001). Moreover, 6 out of 50 (12%) of T1DM patients had associated autoimmune diseases but their sIgA level was normal.
Conclusion
The current study displays 60% prevalence of SIgAD among Egyptian patients with T1DM, which is higher than reported in other populations. Moreover, our data show a higher prevalence of SIgAD in female gender.
IgA Deficiency in type 1 Diabetes Mellitus patients
