Incidence of Type I Diabetes in the Liguria Region, Italy: Results of a prospective study in a 0- to 14-year age-group

Massimo Mazzella; Mario Cotellessa; Stefano Bonassi; Roberta Mulas; Antonino Caratozzolo; Shamir Gaber; Cesare Romano

doi:10.2337/diacare.17.10.1193

Short Reports

Incidence of Type I Diabetes in the Liguria Region, Italy: Results of a prospective study in a 0- to 14-year age-group

Massimo Mazzella, MD,
Mario Cotellessa, MD,
Stefano Bonassi, PHD,
Roberta Mulas, MD,
Antonino Caratozzolo, MD,
Shamir Gaber, MD and
Cesare Romano, MD

University Department of Pediatrics, G. Gaslini Scientific Institute and Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro Genoa, Italy

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Mario Cotellessa, MD, Regional Reference Pediatric Center for Diabetology, University Department of Pediatrics, G. Gaslini Scientific Institute, Largo GerolamoGaslini 5, 16148 Genoa, Italy.

Diabetes Care 1994 Oct; 17(10): 1193-1196. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.17.10.1193

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To assess updated incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in 0- to 14-year-old children in Liguria, a northwest region of Italy.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Incident cases were recorded prospectively from 1987 to 1991. Incidence rates (IRs) were directly standardized on the basis of the 1990 world population. The independent effect of age, sex, residence, and calendar year was estimated with a Poisson regression model. The degree of ascertainment was calculated in accordance with the capture/recapture method.

RESULTS During 5 full calendar years, 117 new cases of IDDM in children were diagnosed in Liguria. The standardized IR over the 5-year period was 11.72 cases·100,000⁻¹·year⁻¹. The sex-specific IR among males and females was 11.45 and 12.01, respectively. The age-specific IR was higher in the 5–9 age-group.

CONCLUSIONS The IR of IDDM in Liguria is among the highest in southern Europe and approaches that of northern European countries. In particular, it is much higher than those reported in the surrounding Italian regions, except for Sardinia. Therefore, the geographical distribution of IDDM does not seem to reflect the simple north-south gradient reported in several previous studies.