INCREASING INCIDENCE OF IDDM IN AUSTRIAN CHILDREN - A NATIONWIDE STUDY 1979-1993

OBJECTIVE - A nationwide population-based study was conducted to assess the insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) incidence in childhood over a 15-year period (1979-1993). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - A questionnaire was sent to all Austrian pediatric departments and diabetologists. The secondary data source was based on patient organization lists and hospital administration data. The data from 1979-1987 were collected retrospectively, while from 1988 to 1993 the registration of cases was performed prospectively in the same network. Estimates of probability of ascertainment were calculated according to the capture-recapture method. RESULTS - The achieved ascertainment was 94%. The overall annual incidence was 7.9/100,000 person-years in children 0-14 years old. During the observation period, the incidence rose by 2.4% annually. CONCLUSIONS - The incidence of childhood IDDM in Austria, a European country with an intermediate risk for IDDM, showed a proportionally similar increase to that of Northern European countries over the past decade. The increase seems to be continuous, following mainly a linear trend with superimposed sudden outbreaks indicating environmental causative factors.