RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGE AT DIAGNOSIS AND GLUTAMIC ACID DECARBOXYLASE ANTIBODY IN NON-OVERWEIGHT/OBESE DIABETIC PATIENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL COHORT STUDY

Abstract

To evaluate the association between age at diagnosis, duration of diabetes, and the positivity of

glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GADA) in non-overweight/obese diabetic individuals. A

cross-sectional study including 284 non-overweight/obese diabetic patients at Hue Central Hospital

was carried out from August 2017 to August 2019. All patients underwent a blood test to measure

the level of GADA. GADA positivity was determined when GADA concentration was higher than

5 IU/mL. Clinical data included age, sex, weight, and height. Age at diagnosis was obtained from

the patients. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Non-overweight/obese diabetic patients

with positive GADA (n=22, 7.7%) were younger at the onset of diabetes (52.4±14.1 versus

59.8±12.8 years, p=0.0103) and had a similar disease duration (8.0±6.9 versus 7.1±6.0 years,

p=0.5048), as compared with negative GADA patients. The cut-off of age at diagnosis for detecting

the risk of GADA positivity in non-overweight/obese diabetic individuals was 57. The rate of

GADA positivity was 2.7 times higher in the age group of under 57 years at diagnosis compared to

that in the older group. GADA measurement is a useful tool in the diagnosis of diabetes in non

overweight/obese diabetic individuals.