The study, published online in Diabetes Care, was led by nursing professor Terri H. Lipman, PhD, RN, who also found that the overall incidence of Type 1 diabetes in Philadelphia’s children has increased by 29% from 1985 to 2004, which amounts to 935 cases. However, ‘The most rapid increase in type 1diabetes – in children diagnosed before age 5 – requires immediate attention,’ Lipman said. ‘These young children are at the highest risk for death because of often-delayed diagnosis. The rapidly rising risk of diabetes in black children ages 0-4 years is of particular concern given the marked racial disparities that have been identified in diabetes outcomes and treatment in this population.’
The data that the study draws on is unique, as it comes from the Philadelphia Paediatric Diabetes Registry, which was a member of the World Health Organization’s Diabetes Mondiale study. This was a consortium of 150 centres in 70 countries, is the only such U.S. registry still active and includes data collected from large populations in three racial groups (white, black, and Hispanic).
Lipman, who holds an appointment at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, continued ‘The incidence of type 1 diabetes in Philadelphia children has increased at an average yearly rate of 1.5%. However, the incidence had been relatively stable over the first 15 years and has risen most markedly since 2000. This upward trend adds to the evidence of an increasing incidence of diabetes in the United States and worldwide.’
When it comes to race and ethnicity, approximately 13 white children were diagnosed per 100,000 annually, though there was an increase between 2000 and 2004 of 48%. Similarly, Hispanic children had previously been very stable at 15.5 diagnosed children per 100,000 annually, but their incidences increased by 27% between 2000 and 2004.
Lipman admitted that whilst there are many hypotheses as to why this has happened, researchers are yet to confirm any risk factors. ‘It is critical to continue to investigate risk factors that may be associated with the increased incidence of type 1 diabetes overall, and the marked rise in the incidence in young children,’ he said. ‘Improving and continuing research and data collection will help clarify the origins and epidemiology of these alarming worldwide trends in paediatric diabetes,’ he concluded.