Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been reported to occur concurrently in some cases. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies, which have been reported to have diagnostic value for RA, in children with type 1 DM. The study included 90 children with type 1 DM (Group 1) and 76 control cases (Group 2). The rates of reported family histories of RA and rheumatoid factor positivity did not differ between groups. In group 1, one case (1.1%) was positive for anti-CCP antibodies, whereas none of the controls were positive. The anti-CCP positive patient had no relevant joint complaints. Anti-CCP antibodies were rarely found in cases of pediatric type 1 DM. Thus, relevant screening in the follow-up of pediatric patients does not appear to be rational in the absence of any signs or symptoms of arthritis. The single case exhibiting a high anti-CCP level needs to be followed up for RA, although this positive result might be nonspecific and transient.

Keywords: anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes mellitus