Insulin antibodies-13402
Test info
Insulin autoantibodies
Specimen
No radioactive isotopes should be administered 24 hours prior to specimen collection
Submission of the minimum volume does not allow for repeat testing
Immediatley following collection, mix sample by gently inverting 5 times
- Allow sample to clot for a minimum of 30 minutes
- Spin within two (2) hours of sample collection
- Transfer serum to a Screw-cap polypropylene frozen transport vial/tube - 4mL (LabCorp), labelled as serum
- Freeze
- Allow sample to clot
- Spin within two (2) hours of sample collection
- Transfer serum to a Screw-cap polypropylene frozen transport vial/tube - 4mL (LabCorp), labelled as serum
- Freeze
Frozen (preferred) - 2 years
Freeze/thaw cycles - stable x 6
Refrigerated - 3 days
Ambient - 2 days
Radioactive isotopes administered 24 hours prior to venipuncture
Performance
Insulin-I125 binding capacity
Clinical and Interpretive info
uU/mL
Type 1 diabetes, commonly referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM), is caused by pancreatic beta-cell destruction that leads to an absolute insulin deficiency. The clinical onset of diabetes does not occur until 80% to 90% of these cells have been destroyed. Prior to clinical onset, type 1 diabetes is often characterized by circulating autoantibodies against a variety of islet cell antigens, including glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), tyrosine phosphatase (IA(2)), and insulin. The autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells is thought to be the primary cause of type 1 diabetes. The presence of these autoantibodies provides early evidence of autoimmunedisease activity, and their measurement can be useful in assisting the physician with the prediction, diagnosis, and management of patients with diabetes. Insulin is the only beta-cell specific autoantigen thus far identified. Antibodies to insulin are found predominantly, though not exclusively, in young children developing type 1 diabetes. In insulin-naive (untreated) patients, the prevalence of antibodies to insulin is almost 100% in very young individuals and almost absent in adult onset of type 1 diabetes. Because the risk of diabetes is increased with the presence of each additional autoantibody marker, the positive predictive value of insulin antibody measurement is increased when measured in conjunction with antibodies to GAD and IA-2.