Anti-Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies and Male Gender Are Associated with Diabetes Occurrence in Patients with Beta-Thalassemia Major

Table 1

Characteristics of 388 thalassemic patients according to the presence of disorders of glucose metabolism.

Variable	NGT	IGT	Diabetes	value
Number of patients	291 (75%)	33 (8.5%)	64 (16.5%)	—
Age (years)	31.1 ± 7.4	31.9 ± 5.3	33.9 ± 5.2	0.015
Gender (F : M)	164 : 127	14 : 19	34 : 30	0.242
Chelation duration (years)	23.9 ± 6.9	24.3 ± 5.5	26.5 ± 5.3	0.017
BMI (kg/m^2)	21.4 ± 3.1	21.3 ± 1.9	22.1 ± 2.4	0.298
GAD65Ab > 95th percentile	10.6%	12.1%	18.8%	0.192
GAD65Ab > 99th percentile	0.3%	0.0%	3.1%	0.094
TPOAb+	9.0%	6.1%	28.1%	<0.0001
tTG+	1.7%	0.0%	1.6%	0.748

NGT, normal glucose tolerance; IGT, impaired glucose tolerance.
One-way ANOVA; cumulating IGT and diabetes.
In the two type 1 diabetes patients antibody titers were, respectively, GAD65Ab 0.41 mmol/L and 0.33 mmol/L; TPOAb = zero and 25 IU/mL; and tTGAb was negative in both cases.