title: Maternal enterovirus infection during pregnancy as a risk factor in offspring diagnosed with type 1 diabetes between 15 and 30 years of age.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatric Unit, Lund University Hospital, Lund University, 221 85 Lund, Sweden. maria.elfving@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elfving
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Svensson
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oikarinen
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jonsson
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Olofsson
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sundkvist
authors.forename: Bengt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lindberg
authors.forename: Ake
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lernmark
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hyöty
authors.forename: Sten-Anders
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ivarsson
mesh_terms: 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