Low serum TNF-α levels in subjects at risk for type 1 diabetes

Objective: The aim of our study was to determine whether serum TNF-α levels in individuals at risk of developing type 1 diabetes, such as first- degree relatives of diabetic patients and children with incidental hyperglycemia, underwent alterations, and also to establish whether these levels might be used to identify individuals prior to insulin dependence. Research design and method: We studied 71 healthy first-degree relatives (FDR) of type 1 diabetic patients and 11 children with incidental hyperglycemia. We looked for immunogenetic (HLA class II serologic alleles and HLA-DQα/β genomic polymorphisms), immunologic (islet-cell and insulin autoantibodies) and metabolic (FPIR to IVGTT) markers of type 1 diabetic risk. Serum concentrations of TNF-α were quantified using IRMA. Results: We found significantly lower serum TNF-α levels in FDR of type 1 diabetic patients (median: 54.3 pg/ml) (p=0.01) and in children with incidental hyperglycemia (median: 10.83 pg/ml) (p