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. 2022 May 4;48(1):66.
doi: 10.1186/s13052-022-01264-z.

Increasing trend of type 1 diabetes incidence in the pediatric population of the Calabria region in 2019-2021

Stefano Passanisi  1 , Giuseppina Salzano  2 , Monica Aloe  3 , Bruno Bombaci  2 , Felice Citriniti  4 , Fiorella De Berardinis  5 , Rosaria De Marco  6 , Nicola Lazzaro  7 , Maria C Lia  8 , Rosanna Lia  9 , Francesco Mammì  9 , Filomena A Stamati  10 , Rosanna M R Toscano  11 , Claudia Ventrici  12 , Dario Iafusco  13 , Fortunato Lombardo  2
Affiliations

Increasing trend of type 1 diabetes incidence in the pediatric population of the Calabria region in 2019-2021

Stefano Passanisi et al. Ital J Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Although type 1 diabetes (T1D) represents one of the most common chronic diseases in pediatric age, few studies on the epidemiology of T1D exist globally and the exact prevalence and incidence rates of the disease are unknown. In many countries, including Italy, national registries are missing.

Methods: This study aims to assess T1D incidence in the pediatric population of the Calabria region (southern Italy) in the period 2019-2021. The secondary objective was to describe the main demographical, clinical and immunological features of incident cases. Case ascertainment and all clinical data were assessed by retrospectively reviewing the electronic medical records of children and adolescents diagnosed with diabetes at any Pediatric Diabetes Center belonging to the Rete Diabetologica Calabrese (Calabria Region Diabetes Network), from January 2019 to December 2021. The incidence of T1D was estimated for the entire region and was stratified according to age group (0-4 years, 5-9 years, and 10-14 years) and gender. Standardized incidence ratios for each province in the region were also calculated.

Results: The crude incidence of T1D was 20.6/100,000 person/years. Incidence rates were higher among females and children aged 5-9 years. The crude incidence of T1D was higher in the province of Reggio Calabria (26.5/100,000 person-years). The provinces of Crotone, Catanzaro, and Vibo Valentia showed significantly lower standardized incidence ratios. The annual incidence in the region progressively increased by 43% during the study period.

Conclusions: Our study revealed a relatively high incidence in the Calabria region. The marked increasing incidence trend over the past two years could be related to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but further long-scale population-based studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Keywords: Children; Diabetic ketoacidosis; Epidemiology; SARS-CoV-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Different crude incidence of type 1 diabetes among provinces of the Calabria region
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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