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Review
. 2012 Feb;2(2):a007799.
doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a007799.

The hygiene hypothesis: an explanation for the increased frequency of insulin-dependent diabetes

Jean-François Bach  1 , Lucienne Chatenoud
Affiliations
Review

The hygiene hypothesis: an explanation for the increased frequency of insulin-dependent diabetes

Jean-François Bach et al. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2012 Feb.

Abstract

The steadily increasing frequency of insulin-dependent diabetes in several countries is best explained today by the decline of infections. Epidemiologic and animal data support this conclusion, which, however, requires confirmation by intervention trials in man. The mechanisms of the protective effect of infections on diabetes onset are diverse including competition for homeostatic factors and stimulation of regulatory T cells and of Toll-like receptors. These considerations might have interesting therapeutic applications for the prevention of the disease.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Frequency of Type 1 diabetes worldwide. Incidence of type 1 diabetes in children 0–14 yr. The data used in map creation are from www.eatlas.idf.org.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Frequency of tuberculosis and of childhood diarrheal diseases worldwide. (A) Prevalence of tuberculosis (the data used in map creation are from www.cdc.gov). (B) Incidence of childhood diarrheal diseases (the data used in map creation are from www.cdc.gov).
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