Incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus during 26 years of observation and prevalence of diabetic ketoacidosis in the later years

The prevalence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) varies greatly between countries. However, over the past several decades, a global rise in the incidence of T1D in the pediatric population has been noted. The aim of our study was to investigate the incidence of T1D in children living in the Lesser Poland during the period of time from January 1, 1987, to December 31, 2012, and to analyze the demographic characteristics and occurrence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in patients with newly diagnosed T1D in the second part of the study (2006–2012). During 26 years, 636 children (331 boys, 305 girls) aged 0–14 years were newly diagnosed with T1D (0–4 years old, n = 131; 5–9 years old, n = 253, 10–14 years old, n = 252). The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) ranged significantly (p < 0.001) from 5.2/100,000/year in 1987 to 21.9/100,000/year in 2012. The highest SIR was observed in age group 5–9 years old (21.2) and the lowest in 0–4 years old (8.8). There was no association with sex or living in urban or rural area. On admission, DKA was diagnosed in 22.4 % of patients. There were no significant differences relating to the presence of DKA (p = 0.912) in subsequent years.

Conclusions: The incidence of T1D among children is increasing rapidly with the highest SIR in the 5–9 years old age group. DKA is still an important problem in the pediatric population.