Maternal enterovirus infection during pregnancy as a risk factor in offspring diagnosed with type 1 diabetes between 15 and 30 years of age.
Maternal enterovirus infections during pregnancy may increase the risk of offspring developing type 1 diabetes during childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether gestational enterovirus infections increase the offspring's risk of type 1 diabetes later in life. Serum samples from 30 mothers without diabetes whose offspring developed type 1 diabetes between 15 and 25 years of age were analyzed for enterovirus-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies and enterovirus genome (RNA), and compared to a control group. Among the index mothers, 9/30 (30%) were enterovirus IgM-positive, and none was positive for enterovirus RNA. In the control group, 14/90 (16%) were enterovirus IgM-positive, and 4/90 (4%) were positive for enterovirus RNA (n.s.). Boys of enterovirus IgM-positive mothers had approximately 5 times greater risk of developing diabetes (OR 4.63; 95% CI 1.22-17.6), as compared to boys of IgM-negative mothers (P < .025). These results suggest that gestational enterovirus infections may be related to the risk of offspring developing type 1 diabetes in adolescence and young adulthood.
Elfving
Maria
M
Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatric Unit, Lund University Hospital, Lund University, 221 85 Lund, Sweden. maria.elfving@med.lu.se
Svensson
Johan
J
Oikarinen
Sami
S
Jonsson
Björn
B
Olofsson
Per
P
Sundkvist
Göran
G
Lindberg
Bengt
B
Lernmark
Ake
A
Hyöty
Heikki
H
Ivarsson
Sten-Anders
SA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000821:virology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology