We assessed serum concentration of anti-GAD65 antibodies in 245 adult patients with type 1 diabetes and 179 patients diagnosed as type 2 diabetes mellitus. The patients were of different age and with a different duration of the disease. We used the ELISA method (kit Diaplets antiGAD plus , Germany) with biotinylated human recombinant GAD65 antigen bound to streptavidin-coated microtiter wells. Overall, 42 percent of patients with type 1 diabetes were anti-GAD65 antibodies positive. Sixty-seven percent of patients of the 18–35-year age group with recent onset of the disease were positive. Fifty percent of patients with an onset of the disease after 35 years of age were also positive. Within the group of patients diagnosed as type 2 diabetes we detected 7 percent anti-GAD65 antibodies positive. The concentration of anti-GAD65 antibodies by RIA method (kit GAD-AB, CIS bio international, France) was determined in 37 serum samples. We found a positive correlation between the two tested methods (R = 0.873).

        Key words: type 1 diabetes, GADA, ELISA, RIA.