© 2004 Diabetes UK. Diabetic Medicine, 21, 447–455 447 DOI: 10.1111/j.1464–5491.2004.01175.x Introduction Clinical remission following initiation of insulin treatment in newly diagnosed Type 1 DM is thought to reflect recovery of β-cell function and improvement of insulin sensitivity [1]. Although intensive insulin treatment at diagnosis of Type 1 DM promotes remission [2], there is a lack of knowledge regarding other remission-promoting factors. If such factors could be defined, novel modalities could be tested in clinical intervention trials aimed to induce remission. In an earlier retro- spective study of 62 patients, we found male gender, normal Correspondence to: Anna Schölin MD, Department of Medical Research 2, University Hospital, Entrance 70 - 3rd floor, SE-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden. E-mail: Anna.Scholin@medsci.uu.se Abstract Aim To identify clinical, immunological and biochemical factors that predict remission, and its duration in a large cohort of young adults with Type 1 dia- betes mellitus (DM). Methods In Sweden, 362 patients (15 –34 years), classified as Type 1 DM were included in a prospective, nation-wide population-based study. All patients were followed at local hospitals for examination of HbA 1c and insulin dosage over a median period after diagnosis of 5 years. Duration of remission, defined as an insulin maintenance dose ≤ 0.3 U/ kg /24 h and HbA 1c within the normal range, was analysed in relation to characteristics at diagnosis. Results Remissions were seen in 43% of the patients with a median duration of 8 months (range 1–73). Sixteen per cent had a remission with a duration > 12 months. Among patients with antibodies (ab + ), bivariate analysis suggested that adult age, absence of low BMI, high plasma C-peptide concentrations, lack of ketonuria or ketoacidosis at diagnosis and low insulin dose at discharge from hospital were associated with a high possibility of achieving remission. Multiple regression showed that normal weight (BMI of 20 –24.9 kg /m 2 ) was the only factor that remained significant for the possibility of entering remission. In sur- vival analysis among ab + remitters, a low number of islet antibodies, one or two instead of three or four, were associated with a long duration of remissions. Conclusion In islet antibody-positive Type 1 DM, normal body weight was the strongest factor for entering remission, whilst a low number of islet antibodies was of importance for the duration. Diabet. Med. 21, 447–455 (2004) Keywords BMI, islet antibodies, remission, Type 1 DM, young adults Abbreviations BMI, body mass index; ICA, islet cell autoantibodies; GADA, autoantibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 kDa; IA-2A, antibodies to tyrosine phosphatase-like antigen; IAA, insulin autoantibodies Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. Oxford, UK DME Diabetic Medicine 0742-3071 Blackwell Science Ltd, 2003 20 Original Article Original article XXXX A. Schölin et al. Normal weight promotes remission and low number of islet antibodies prolong the duration of remission in Type 1 diabetes A. Schölin*, C. Törn†, L. Nyström‡‡, C. Berne*, H. Arnqvist‡, G. Blohmé§, J. Bolinder¶, J. W. Eriksson**, I. Kockum††, M. Landin-Olsson†, J. Östman¶, F. A. Karlsson*, G. Sundkvist§§ and E. Björk 1 *Department of Medical Science, University Hospital, Uppsala, †Department of Medicine, University Hospital, Lund, ‡Department of Medicine and Care, University Hospital, Linköping, §Department of Medicine, South Stockholm General Hospital, ¶Centre of Metabolism and Endocrinology, Huddinge University Hospital, **Department of Medicine, Umeå Hospital, ††Department of Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, ‡‡Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, §§Department of Endocrinology, Malmö University Hospital, Sweden Accepted 11 August 2003