November 28, 2001
Research: Causes and Prevention
Question from Auckland, New Zealand:
I have had type�1 diabetes since age 12, and my 10 year old son had a negative antibody test when he was three. Should this test be repeated at intervals? If so, how often?
Answer:
At this time, I don’t think we can predict how long or if antibodies will remain negative. I suspect a negative test result would be valid for a few years. There are other tests, which give his genetic identity with respect to diabetes risk. You might ask about that test.
LD
Additional comments from Dr. Donough O’Brien:
The principal invetigator in the DAISY study tells me that some children who are negative at an early age will develop antibodies at puberty. Perhaps this child should be retested in a year or two for all three (ICA512, anti-GAD, and anti-insulin) conventional antibodies. Doing an HLA test to look for the protective gene was a good idea.
DOB
