Screening for ICA Autoantibodies among Healthy Young Adults from Bethlehem District: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common disorder in the Palestinian population. It causes economic burden on the society due to costs of management of the disease. Therefore, being able to predict the development of type 1 DM in young adults by screening for islet cell (ICA) antibodies before its onset by many years and reverse the process by instituting proper measures would have a tremendous impact on the individual and population levels. This pilot study involved screening 99 healthy young adults with no history of DM in Bethlehem District and a mean age of 28.9 years, (range 19-40 years) for ICA autoantibodies. All samples were normoglycemic. Of the 99 samples screened, 5.1% tested positive for ICA antibodies. This 5.1% frequency of ICA antibodies among healthy adults in Bethlehem District indicates that type 1 DM might be on the rise in the future so that larger studies are recommended. At high-risk patients who tested positive for ICA antibodies are recommended to regularly monitor their blood sugar levels in the coming years for earlier detection of type 1 diabetes.