My 14 year old daughter, who has type 1 and was diagnosed in November 1999, recently asked me if type 1 is more common in girls than in boys. Are there any statistics that would answer this question for her?

Great question! According to the United States Centers for Disease Control, the distribution of diabetes by gender is approximately the same by type and across age groups. For more information about the prevalence and distribution of diabetes in the United States, as well state diabetes control efforts in your state, visit the CDC’s Diabetes Public Health Resource page.

DSH
Additional comments from Dr. Stuart Brink:

Type 1 diabetes, overall, is about the same for girls and boys. In younger children, i.e. those less than five to seven years of age, there are often more boys than girls. This may be explained by different genetic susceptibilities at different ages.

SB
Additional comments from Dr. Andrea Scaramuzza:

I think there are equal numbers of male and females with type 1, although, in some studies, there are slightly more males than females.

AS