Incidence and Prevalence of Diabetes in Children Aged 0–14 Years in Manitoba, Canada, 1985–1993

James F Blanchard; Heather Dean; Kristin Anderson; Andre Wajda; Sora Ludwig; Noella Depew

doi:10.2337/diacare.20.4.512

Original Articles

Incidence and Prevalence of Diabetes in Children Aged 0–14 Years in Manitoba, Canada, 1985–1993

James F Blanchard, MD, MPH,
Heather Dean, MD, FRCP(C),
Kristin Anderson, RD, BHEC, CDE,
Andre Wajda, MSC,
Sora Ludwig, MD, FRCP(C) and
Noella Depew, RN, BA, CDE

Manitoba Diabetes Education Programme, Faculty of Medicine University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Epidemiology Unit Faculty of Medicine University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Manitoba Department of Health, Department of Community Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Heather Dean, MD, FRCP(C), Department of Pediatrics, University of Manitoba, Room FE320-685 William Ave., Winnipeg MB R3E 0Z2, Canada. E-mail: hdean{at}cc.umanitoba.ca

Diabetes Care 1997 Apr; 20(4): 512-515. https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.20.4.512

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To estimate the incidence and prevalence of type I diabetes among Manitoba children aged 0–14 years from 1985–1993.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The Manitoba Diabetes Database (a population-based database of individuals diagnosed with diabetes based on Manitoba's health insurance system) was used to estimate the annual incidence of diabetes for the years 1985–1993 and the point prevalence of diabetes at 31 March 1993 for Manitoba children aged 0–14 years. The Diabetes Education Resource for Children and Adolescents program database was used to correct incidence and prevalence rates for ascertainment using the two-source capture-recapture method.

RESULTS The overall ascertainment rate of the Manitoba Diabetes Database was 95% for incident cases and 93% for prevalent cases. The average annual incidence was 20.4 per 100,000 for children aged 0–14 years. The annual incidence appears to be stable for all age-groups 0–14 years over the past decade. The point prevalence of diabetes among children was 120.4 per 100,000.

CONCLUSIONS The incidence of type I diabetes in children aged 0–14 years in Manitoba is higher than reported previously in other urban regions of Canada, but similar to population-based estimates from Prince Edward Island. The incidence appears stable in Manitoba over the past decade even in the 0–4 year age-group. The Manitoba Diabetes Database appears to be a highly accurate population-based source of data on the epidemiology of diabetes in children.