title: Major childhood infectious diseases and other determinants associated with type 1 diabetes: a case-control study.
abstract: The objective of the study was to evaluate the association between infectious diseases and other events pertaining to childhood medical history and type 1 diabetes. A case-control study was carried out, taking as cases 159 type 1 diabetic patients (0-29 years) recorded from 1988 to 2000 within the population registry of the Pavia province (North Italy). As controls 318 non-diabetic subjects were matched by age and sex. A questionnaire was administered by standardised interviewers. Data were analysed by conditional logistic regression. Viral childhood diseases (OR 4.29; 95%CI 1.57-11.74) and bottle feeding (OR 1.83; 95%CI 1.08-3.09) were directly correlated to type 1 diabetes; an inverse correlation was found for vitamin D administration during lactation (0-14 years) (OR 0.31; 95%CI 0.11-0.86) and for history of scarlet fever in both sexes and age groups (OR 0.19; 95%CI 0.08-0.46). Most associations of the studied variables confirm already known findings. The significant inverse correlation of type 1 diabetes with scarlet fever history is a peculiar finding, the meaning of which is still obscure, although it has been recently described that streptococcal A infections are regulated by HLA class II alleles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Pavia, via Forlanini 2, I-27100, Pavia, Italy. tenconi@unipv.it
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Tenconi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Devoti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Comelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pinon
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capocchiano
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Calcaterra
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pretti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001942:Breast Feeding; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D