Trends of childhood diabetes incidence in Slovakia 1985-2000: accelerated increase in the years 1990-2000.
BACKGROUND
A sudden rise in the incidence of childhood diabetes (DM 1) in Central and Eastern Europe over the last decade has been reported.


OBJECTIVE
To compare in Slovakia incidence trends in the 80s with those in the 90s.


METHODS
The data from the Slovak Register of Diabetic Children diagnosed in 1985-2000 (n=1818) were divided into 6 groups according to sex and age at diagnosis (0-4, 5-9, 10-14). Trends were computed separately for 1985-1990 and 1990-2000. The 95% confidence estimates of linear regression coefficients and as percentages from the estimated starting values in 1985 and 1990, were calculated by the linear regression based on statistical inferential approach.


RESULTS
Non-significant increasing or decreasing trends were found in 6 gender/age groups 1985-1990. In the 90s, however, significantly increasing trends were present in each of 6 groups. They were significant (p<0.05) in the male groups and in the total of all cases. The overall incidence rise (+0.03 cases per 100000 children per year) was nonsignificant in the 80s but significant in the 90s (+0.63/100000/year). As a result, the incidence rate of childhood diabetes in Slovakia rose from 6.01 new cases per 100000 children per one year in 1985 to 13.53/100000/year in 2000.


CONCLUSIONS
The overall DM 1 incidence increaseed from the 1980s (80s) to the 1990s (90s), expressed in the number of new cases, is more than a 20-fold absolutely and almost 10-fold in relative terms. This was not due to an improvement in diagnosis in 1990s. Both the gender and age heterogeneity were present. (Tab. 2, Fig. 2, Ref. 25.).
Michalkova
D
D
1st Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia. michalko.dfnsp@pobox.sk
Mikulecky
M
M
Hlava
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D018154:Slovakia / Q000453:epidemiology