
March 15, 2005
Research: Monitoring
Question from Brownsburg, Indiana, USA:
Is anyone tracking the incidence of type 1 diabetes in the population? I think we all know that the numbers are rising, but I am curious as to whether there are any numbers out there. What are some of the possible causes for the increase in number of children diagnosed?
Answer:
In the United States, to the best of my knowledge, there is no central organization tracking the incidence of type 1 diabetes because it is not a reportable disease — that is, doctors do not report new onsets to the Centers for Disease Control. In several other countries, however, type 1 diabetes is reportable and there are good data on incidence.
There is much speculation about why the incidence of type 1 diabetes is increasing and several studies are underway to identify environmental triggers.
JSH