Anti–Glucagon-Cell and Anti–Adrenal-Medullary-Cell Antibodies in Islet-Cell-Autoantibody–Positive Diabetic Children

Abstract

To the Editor: Insulin-dependent diabetic patients have a high prevalence of circulating islet-cell autoantibodies at the time of diagnosis.¹ It has become evident from recent studies that these autoantibodies reflect a heterogeneous group of antibodies reacting with different cells within the islets and with various cytoplasmic and membrane epitopes on single islet cells.^{2 3 4} We report here our recent finding of antibodies reacting with cytoplasmic structures of adrenal medullary cells in a proportion of diabetic patients positive for islet-cell autoantibodies.Since March 1981 all newly diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetic children who were positive for islet-cell autoantibodies were studied (19 female and 24 . . .