ADA: Incidence of type 1 diabetes in Dutch children still increasing

as presented at the American Diabetes Association's 74th Scientific Sessions

According to data presented at ADA, held in June in San Francisco, the incidence of type one diabetes continues to rise among Dutch children.

The incidence of both type 2 and type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is increasing worldwide. Three population-based studies between 1978 and 1999 confirmed this trend in children with T1DM in the Netherlands. 

Drawing data from the Young DUDEs (DUtch Diabetes Estimates) initiative, the investigators found that the overall incidence per 100,000 children continued to increase from the late 1990s to the early 2010s. The age groups in which the incidence remained stable in the early 2010s were the youngest age category (0-4) in which incidence had doubled in the 1990s and the oldest age category. 

No relevant differences in T1DM incidence rates between boys and girls were found, except for age 15-18 (boy:girl ratio 1.07, compared to 0.92 in 1992-5 and 1.00 in 1988-90), but the number of children in this age category was only 121 boys and 77 girls.

"The incidence of T1DM in children in The Netherlands is still increasing, in particular in children 5-14 years of age, both in boys and girls," the researchers concluded.