Previous maternal abortion, longer gestation, and younger maternal age decrease the risk of type 1 diabetes among male offspring.
OBJECTIVE
To identify possible influences and interactions of perinatal determinants in the subsequent development of type 1 diabetes.


METHODS
The data were obtained from children born in Denmark during the periods 1978-1982 and 1984-1986 and admitted to a Danish hospital with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes between 1978 and 1995; 857 patients fulfilled the criteria. The study was conducted by combining and analyzing two national registries: the National Patient Registry and the Medical Birth Registry. For each diabetic child, two control children were randomly selected, matched by sex, time, and district of delivery.


RESULTS
By multivariate logistic regression analysis, the following significant determinants were identified. Male offspring showed decreased risk when born of mothers who had had one or more abortions (odds ratio [OR] 0.66 [95% CI 0.48-0.92]) and with long duration of gestation (linearly with OR 0.91 per week [0.85-0.99]), while increased risk was found for high maternal age (linearly with OR 1.03 per year [1.00-1.06]). Female offspring showed no such association. No significant differences between diabetic patients and control subjects were found with respect to paternal age, maternal parity, placental weight or any of the birth size parameters, or interventions and complications during delivery.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings show that perinatal determinants may influence the risk of subsequent development of type 1 diabetes in a sex-specific manner.
Bache
I
I
Bartholin Instituttet, Kommunehospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. buschard@post6.tele.dk
Bock
T
T
Vølund
A
A
Buschard
K
K
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010298:Parity; D010331:Paternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D012042:Registries; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics