Related Experiment Videos
Incidence of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus in Puerto Rico: the University Pediatric Hospital experience
Insights
Seasonal patterns of childhood Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were studied in Puerto Rico. Researchers found no significant seasonal variation in new IDDM cases, suggesting climate uniformity may negate seasonal influences seen elsewhere.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Epidemiology
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) incidence in children often correlates with colder seasons and viral infections in temperate climates.
- Puerto Rico's uniform climate may influence IDDM seasonality differently than temperate regions.
- Rising diabetes mortality in Puerto Rico prompted investigation into incidence trends.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the seasonal pattern of newly diagnosed IDDM in a pediatric population in Puerto Rico.
- To determine if a secular trend of increasing IDDM incidence exists in Puerto Rico.
- To assess the impact of Puerto Rico's climate on IDDM diagnosis rates.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 269 new pediatric IDDM cases diagnosed between 1973 and 1982.
- Examination of monthly and seasonal incidence rates.
- Statistical analysis to identify seasonal variations and secular trends.
Main Results:
- No significant seasonal differences in IDDM incidence were observed across different seasons (cold, hot, rainy, dry).
- The mean monthly incidence was 2.24 +/- 0.48 cases.
- No secular trend of increasing IDDM incidence was detected over the 10-year study period.
Conclusions:
- The study suggests that Puerto Rico's uniform climate does not exhibit the seasonal trends in pediatric IDDM incidence commonly observed in temperate regions.
- Environmental factors influencing seasonal IDDM patterns in other latitudes may not be applicable in Puerto Rico.
- Further research could explore other potential contributing factors to IDDM in this population.
Abstract:
The incidence of newly-diagnosed Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in a pediatric population has been found to increase with colder seasons in countries at latitudes where a marked weather change presumably triggers a higher prevalence of viral infections (especially respiratory), that may induce an insulitis which could be etiologically related with IDDM. In order to assess whether the opposite is true for a country with rather uniform climate, like Puerto Rico, we have studied the seasonal pattern of newly diagnosed IDDM seen at our institution during a 10 year period (1973-1982). Also, recent reports on a higher mortality from diabetes in Puerto Rico going from 16.6 in 1977 to 31.0 in 1983, prompted us to look at a possible secular trend of increasing incidence of IDDM. There were a total of 269 new cases of IDDM or 27 cases/year, with standard deviation (SD) of +/- 5.3, range 18 to 33, and no secular trend at all. Sex distribution was quite variable, having male:female (m/f) ratios from 1:2 to 3:1, and an over-all m/f of 13.3/13.6. Incidence of IDDM per month of year went from a low of 1.7 for April and November to a high of 3.0 for March and 2.9 for September, 2.8 for October, with a mean of 2.24 +/- 0.48 cases/month. Again, no significant seasonal differences were noted. Mean incidence for our "cold" months (November to April was 2.25/month; for our "hot" season (May to October) was 2.3/month; for our "rainy" season (July to December) 2.3 and for our "dry" season (January to April) 2.3/month. Thus, it appears that there are no such seasonal trends of IDDM In Puerto Rico.