Diabetes Care, Vol 13, Issue 10 1084-1088, Copyright © 1990 by American Diabetes Association
Complement-fixing antibodies to sympathetic and parasympathetic tissues in IDDM. Autonomic brake index and heart-rate variation
SL Rabinowe, FM Brown, M Watts and AM Smith
Immunology Section, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA 02215.
We describe herein complement-fixing anti-adrenal medullary (CF-ADM) and
anti-sympathetic ganglia (CF-SG) antibodies in insulin-dependent diabetes
mellitus (IDDM). This study describes complement-fixing anti-vagus (CF-V)
nerve antibodies and their relationship to the cardiovascular autonomic
brake index (a measure of transient decrease in heart rate during the 1st
min after a tilt), and R-R interval variation with deep breathing. CF-V was
detectable in 7 of 83 (8.4%) subjects with IDDM aged 1.5-65.5 yr (mean +/-
SE 28.7 +/- 1.8 yr) and duration of diabetes 0-47 yr (11.8 +/- 1.4 yr).
Seventy-six nondiabetic subjects (aged 10-65 yr) all had negative CF-V
scores. CF-V scores correlated with CF-ADM (0-16 yr of IDDM, r = 0.61, P
less than 0.0001) and CF-SG (r = 0.39, P less than 0.05). Seventy IDDM
subjects (aged 28 +/- 5 yr, duration of diabetes 17 +/- 3 yr) without
proteinuria or proliferative retinopathy were screened for CF-ADM, CF-SG,
and CF-V antibodies. Five of 70 (7.1%) had CF-SG only (negative for CF-ADM
and CF-V). Brake indices ranged from 14.7 to 51.3 (37.3 +/- 6.9). Three of
70 (4.2%) had CF-ADM only, with brake indices from 26.9 to 45.1 (32.9 +/-
6.1). Four of 70 (5.7%) had CF-V antibodies only, with brake indices of
12.7-17.3 (15.1 +/- 1.1). Subjects with CF-SG or CF-ADM (anti-sympathetic)
had higher brake indices than subjects with CF-V (anti-parasympathetic)
antibodies (P less than 0.03).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)