Incidence of type 1 diabetes has doubled in Kuwaiti children 0-14 years over the last 20 years

Aims: This study had 2 aims: to report data on the incidence of childhood-onset type 1 diabetes in Kuwaiti children aged 0-14 years during 2011 to 2013 and to compare the recent data with those collected during 1992 to 1997.

Methods: All newly diagnosed patients were registered through the Childhood-Onset Diabetes eRegistry (CODeR) in 2011-2013, based on the DiaMond protocol used in 1992-1997.

Results: A total of 515 Kuwaiti children (247 boys and 268 girls) aged 0-14 years newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes were registered from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2013. Data ascertainment were 96.7%. The mean age ± SD at diagnosis was 8.7 ± 3.4 years in boys and 7.9 ± 3.1 years in girls. The crude incidence rate (95% CI) was 40.9 (37.4-44.6) and the age standardized rate 41.7 (95% 38.1-45.4) per 100,000 per year, 39.3 (34.6-44.4) among boys and 44.1 (39.0-49.7) among girls. A statistically significant increasing trend in incidence was observed as the overall crude incidence rose from 17.7 in 1992-1994 to 40.9 per 100,000 per year in 2011-2013. The Poisson regression model depicting the trend in incidence revealed that, the incidence rates adjusted for age and sex in 2011 to 2013 was 2.3 (95% CI 1.9-2.7) times higher than 1992-1997.

Conclusions: The incidence of type 1 diabetes in Kuwaiti children 0-14 years has doubled in the last 2 decades. The reasons for this increase requires further investigation.