HOMA2-B helpful for assessment of type 1 diabetes risk, finds study

USA: Recent data suggest that HOMA2-B may be useful as a single-time-point measurement for stratifying the risk of developing type 1 diabetes (T1D) in autoantibody-positive (Aab+) individuals. The study appears in the journal Diabetologia. 

Methods for identifying people at highest risk of type 1 diabetes are important for the successful implementation of disease-modifying interventions. There is a need for simple metabolic measures to help stratify Aab+ people at risk of developing type 1 diabetes. HOMA2-B is a validated mathematical tool used commonly to estimate beta cell function in type 2 diabetes using fasting glucose and insulin. However, the use of HOMA2-B with regard to type 1 diabetes progression has not been tested. 

Against the above background, Carmella Evans-Molina, Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA, and colleagues aimed to assess whether HOMA2-B is associated with risk of type 1 diabetes progression. 

The study included individuals enrolled in the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study. Baseline HOMA2-B values from single-Aab+ (n = 2652; mean age, 21.1 ± 14.0 years) and multiple-Aab+ (n = 3794; mean age, 14.5 ± 11.2 years) were compared. The associations between HOMA2-B tertiles and time to progression to type 1 diabetes were determined after adjusting for age, sex, HLA status and BMI z score. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to test the association of HOMA2-B with type 1 diabetes development in 1, 2, 5 and 10 years.