Objective:
Patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) may have abnormalities in immune function and presumed increased morbidity and mortality from infections. The aim of this study was to compare the diphtheria antitoxin levels in immunized children with Type 1 DM and healthy children.
Methods:
Diphtheria antitoxin levels were measured in serum samples of 40 patients and 40 age and sex matched healthy subjects.
Results:
Overall, 23% (9/40) of the patients and 25% (11/40) of healthy controls had insufficient immunity against diphtheria. There was no statistical significant difference for diphtheria antibody levels between patients and controls (X2=0.267, p=0.797).
Conclusion:
Our results indicate that the impairment of the immune response in Type 1 DM patients could be antigen specific and not a general event, and require further investigation in a larger study.
Keywords: Type 1 diabetes mellitus, diphtheria antitoxin, vaccine