National Data on the Epidemiology of IDDM in Greece: Cases diagnosed in 1992

Catherine Dacou-Voutetakis; Kyriaki Karavanaki; Helen Tsoka-Gennatas; The Hellenic Epidemiology Study Group

doi:10.2337/diacare.18.4.552

Short Reports

National Data on the Epidemiology of IDDM in Greece: Cases diagnosed in 1992

Catherine Dacou-Voutetakis, MD,
Kyriaki Karavanaki, MD, PHD,
Helen Tsoka-Gennatas, MD and
The Hellenic Epidemiology Study Group

Diabetes Center, First Pediatric Department, Athens University Athens, Greece

Address correspondence and reprint requests to C. Dacou-Voutetakis, 1st Department of Pediatrics, Athens University, “Aghia Sophia” Children's Hospital, Athens 11527, Greece.

Diabetes Care 1995 Apr; 18(4): 552-554. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.18.4.552

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To detect the incidence, geographic distribution, and seasonal variation of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in all of Greece.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS One hundred and thirty-seven children (75 boys and 62 girls) up to 14.9 years of age were diagnosed with IDDM in Greece in 1992.

RESULTS The age-adjusted incidence of IDDM in Greece in 1992 was 6.25/100,000 population (boys: 6.17/100,000;: girls: 6.28/100,000). There was a significant pubertal peak. The incidence of IDDM was significantly higher in metropolitan (10.0/100,000) than in rural (4.21/100,000), semirural (7.48/100,000), or urban areas (5.36/100,000) of Athens. There was a marginal difference between rural and semirural areas. No significant seasonal variation in the incidence of IDDM was observed.

CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the incidence of IDDM in Greece is among the five lowest in Europe. An impressive clustering of cases was observed in the Athens metropolitan area compared with the rural and semirural areas, an observation that possibly underlines the importance of environmental factors (stressful situations, infections, dietary habits, and others) in the expression of IDDM.