title: The epidemiology of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus in Romania. ONROCAD Study Group. National Romanian Organisation for the Care of Diabetic Children and Adolescents.
abstract: The ONROCAD Study group was established to provide descriptive epidemiological information on type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) in Romania. Data on all new patients with type 1 DM with onset before age 15 years during the four-year period 1992-1995 in Romania were submitted from all members of the ONROCAD Study Group, representing all doctors and clinics that manage children with DM in Romania. Age- and sex-specific incidence rates were estimated, using available demographic data. A total of 706 new patients with type 1 DM and onset 0-14 years was registered. The overall completeness of ascertainment was estimated at 93.5%. For all Romania, the incidence of childhood-onset type 1 DM was estimated at 3.57/100,000/year. The incidence in the three regions was statistically significantly different (p = 0.002), with high rates in Transylvania and low rates in Muntenia. Girls had a significantly higher incidence than boys for each of the age groups 0-4, 5-9 and 10-14 years. Between these age groups, the incidence increased significantly with age. The incidence of childhood-onset type 1 DM is among the lowest recorded in Europe. Significant, but unexplained, geographical variation exists within Romania. Searches for factors to explain this heterogeneity may provide clues to the etiology of childhood-onset type 1 DM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diabetes, University for Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania. viorelserban@hotmail.com
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Serban
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Timar
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dabelea
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McKinney
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Law
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012383:Romania; D017678:Sex Distribution