General immune dampening is associated with disturbed metabolism at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Background:Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a serious diagnosis with the prospect of grave short- and long-term complications and even death if poorly managed. An attempt has been made to describe how clinical and immunological deviations might influence each other close to the diagnosis of T1D.Methods:Sixty-nine newly diagnosed T1D children were studied together with a reference group of 30 healthy children. Cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, interferon-γ, and tumor necrosis factor-) were detected in in vitro culture by multiplex fluorochrome technique. Information of clinical status of the patients such as BMI, weight loss, pubertal stage, duration of symptoms, previous and/or ongoing infections, insulin requirement, and ketoacidosis were gathered together with the analysis of C-peptide and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c).Results:In general, low cytokine secretion was found at diagnosis of T1D. However, high C-peptide, short duration of symptoms, or an infection prior to diagnosis was associated with increased immune activity including proinflammatory, Th2-associated, and Tr1-associated cytokines. In contrast, ketoacidosis and later pubertal stage at onset of disease were more related to a Th1-prone response.Conclusion:There is a general immune dampening at diagnosis of T1D, which appears to be related to the metabolic state close to diagnosis. Copyright © 2014 International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc.