title: [The prevalence of autoimmunological diseases in families of children with type I diabetes].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  type I diabetes mellitus is considered as an autoimmune disease and is often associated with other diseases of that etiology. The genetic susceptibility to autoimmune disorders causes type I diabetes to occur more frequently in relatives of the diabetic patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence of type I diabetes and other autoimmune diseases in families of the children with type I diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prevalence of type I diabetes mellitus and other autoimmune endocrinopathies was evaluated in I, II and III degree relatives of 155 children with type I diabetes mellitus and 90 control children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was observed that: 1) diabetes mellitus occurred more often in relatives of diabetic children (in 22 families - 14.2%) in comparison with the control group (in 2 families - 2.2%); 2) other autoimmune diseases occurred frequently in families of diabetic children and they affected 2 or more members of one family more often than in the control group (18 families vs 4); 3) rheumatoid arthritis occurred more frequently in families of diabetic children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The familial prevalence of type I diabetes mellitus and the tendency to more frequent prevalence of other autoimmune diseases in families of diabetic children was confirmed.
authors.affiliation: II Klinika Chorób Dzieci AM, 15-274 Białystok.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krawczuk-Rybak
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grygorczuk
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urban