THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF TYPE I DIABETES IN CHILDREN 0-14 YEARS OF AGE IN PHILADELPHIA (DIABETES MELLITUS, PENNSYLVANIA).
Contributors: University of Pennsylvania.
Published: 1991
Number of pages: 140
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Public Health.; Biology, Biostatistics.
Description: The goal of diabetes prevention has fostered many studies to identify the risk factors of Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM) throughout the world. Because of the paucity of diabetes registries, the risk of developing IDDM is unknown in more than 94% of the world's population. There were no data on the incidence of diabetes in Philadelphia. The purpose of this study was to determine the epidemiology of IDDM in children in Philadelphia via a retrospective population-based registry.

All hospitals in Philadelphia that admit children were identified and permission to review records was obtained. All charts meeting the following criteria were reviewed: (1) newly diagnosed IDDM, (2) ages 0-14 yrs., (3) residing in Philadelphia at the time of diagnosis, and (4) diagnosed from 1/1/85 to 12/31/89. Standard IDDM registry data were abstracted from the charts: name, address, birthdate, sex, race, date when insulin treatment started. Ascertainment of the completeness of the hospital registry was validated by a secondary source, review of diabetes camp records from 1985-1990. The relationship between variables was analyzed using the chi square statistic. Differences in incidence levels were determined to be significant if the 95% confidence intervals of the rates did not overlap.

A total of 210 cases were identified and the combined hospital/camp registry was determined to be 92% complete. The overall age adjusted incidence rate in Philadelphia was 13/100,000 per year. The incidence in 1986 was significantly less than the average for the other four years. The highest incidence was in females, Hispanics and children 10-14 years old. The risk of developing IDDM in children younger than age 5 was 2.6 times greater in Whites than Blacks. Neither socioeconomic status nor seasonality was found to be significantly related to IDDM in Philadelphia.

The determination of the distribution of IDDM allows for interpopulation comparisons which facilitate the identification of risk factors. The ultimate goal of this type of research is to identify and define the environmental determinants of IDDM. Identifying and altering diabetogenic environmental factors may be effective in reducing the incidence, or even preventing, this serious disease which afflicts 12,000 children per year.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-05, Section: B, page: 2501.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 1991.

School code: 0175.