ISSN:
1432-0428
Keywords:
Keywords Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus
;
epidemiology
;
incidence
;
childhood
;
population density
;
material deprivation
;
overcrowding
;
space-time clustering.
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Summary During the period 1989–1994, 462 cases of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were registered among children from Northern Ireland aged under 15 years. The estimated completeness of the register was 98.8 % (95 % confidence interval (CI) 97.7 %, 99.9 %). A standardised rate of 19.6 (95 % CI 17.8, 21.4) per 100 000 person years was obtained, placing Northern Ireland near the top of the range of published incidence in the United Kingdom, with a rate close to that reported for Scotland. In an analysis based on 217 postcode sectors, areas with a high population density and the most material deprivation were observed to have the lowest incidence rates. After inclusion of population density in a Poisson regression analysis, the component of deprivation which was found to be most significant was household crowding. Relative to children living in areas of low population density, there was a reduced risk for children in medium (relative incidence 0.85 (95 % confidence limits CI 0.67,1.09)) and high (0.62 (95 %CI 0.48,0.80)) population density areas. Similarly, relative to children living in areas with low levels of household crowding, there was a reduced risk for children in medium (relative incidence 0.73 (95 % CI 0.58,0.93)) and high (0.67 (95 %CI 0.53,0.83)) levels of household crowding. Tests for space-time clustering at diagnosis and at birth were negative. A possible explanation for the differences in incidence rate observed in this study is that exposure to infections very early in childhood is a protective factor. Later infections may act as either initiators or promoters of diabetes, but the absence of space-time clustering suggests that no single specific infectious agent is responsible. [Diabetologia (1996) 39: 1063–1069]
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00400655
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