Increasing incidence of type 1 diabetes in children aged 0–14 years in Harbin, China (1990–2000)

Zhang, Huiying; Xia, Wei; Yu, Qiubin; Wang, Binyou; Chen, Sufen; Wang, Zhiqiang; Love, Edgar J.

doi:10.1016/j.pcd.2008.06.001

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Volume 2, Issue 3 , Pages 121-126, September 2008

Increasing incidence of type 1 diabetes in children aged 0–14 years in Harbin, China (1990–2000)

Huiying Zhang
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health and of Maternal Health Care, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nan Gang District, Harbin 150086, China
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 451 87502675; fax: +86 451 87502885.
Wei Xia
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health and of Maternal Health Care, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nan Gang District, Harbin 150086, China
Qiubin Yu
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
Binyou Wang
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health and of Maternal Health Care, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nan Gang District, Harbin 150086, China
Sufen Chen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Health and of Maternal Health Care, Public Health College, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nan Gang District, Harbin 150086, China
Zhiqiang Wang
- School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Edgar J. Love
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

Received 10 January 2008; received in revised form 21 May 2008; accepted 3 June 2008. published online 21 July 2008.

Abstract

Aims

(1) To determine the incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus in children aged<15 years in Harbin, China and (2) to examine the trend in incidence over the period from 1990 to 2000.

Methods

Newly diagnosed cases of type 1 diabetes from 1990 to 2000 were identified among 1,286,154 Chinese children aged 0–14 years in Harbin. The primary source of case ascertainment was from hospital records and the secondary source from the health records of school clinics.

Results

One hundred and three cases were identified during 1990 and 2000. The annual incidence rate was 0.73 per 100,000 (95% CI: 0.59–0.88 per 100,000). No significant difference between males and females in the incidence of type 1 diabetes was observed. The incidence was significantly associated with age. With those aged<5 years as reference, the rate ratios were 2.06 and 4.1 for those aged 5–9 and 10–14 years, respectively. The incidence was higher in urban than in suburban regions, particularly among those aged 10–14 years. No significant seasonality was observed. There was a significant increasing trend in the incidence of type 1 diabetes during the period of 1990 and 2000, with an annual increase of 7.4% (95% CI: 1.6–13.5%).

Conclusions

There is a significantly increasing trend in the incidence of type 1 diabetes among children in Harbin. Increased number of cases has important implications for diabetes care providers. Understanding the etiology of this rise is critical for developing preventive measures to halt the trend.

Keywords: Type 1 diabetes, Child, Incidence, Chinese, Characteristics