High incidence of childhood type 1 diabetes in the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of type 1 diabetes among children aged 0-14 years in the Avalon Peninsula in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a prospective cohort study of the incidence of childhood type 1 diabetes in children aged 0-14 years who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes from 1987 to 2002 on the Avalon Peninsula. Identified case subjects during this time period were ascertained from several sources and verified using the capture-recapture technique. Data were obtained from the only pediatric diabetes treatment center for children living on the Avalon Peninsula. RESULTS Over the study period, 294 children aged 0-14 years from the Avalon Peninsula were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The incidence of type 1 diabetes in this population over the period 1987-2002 inclusive was 35.93 with a 95% CI of 31.82-40.03. The incidence over this period increased linearly at the rate of 1.25 per 100,000 individuals per year. CONCLUSIONS The Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland has one of the highest incidences of type 1 diabetes reported worldwide. The incidence increased over the 16-year study period.

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