Prenatal and early life factors and type 1 diabetes.

Background: The prevalence of type 1 diabetes is increasing worldwide, suggesting that unknown environmental factors are becoming increasingly important in its pathogenesis.

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the possible role of a number of prenatal and perinatal factors in the aetiology of type 1 diabetes.

Methods: Mothers of patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (cases) and mothers of children born on the same day and of the same sex as type 1 diabetes patients (controls) were interviewed on a number of prenatal and perinatal factors of interest.

Why is the Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes Increasing?

Type 1 diabetes is a condition that can lead to serious long-term complications and can have significant psychological and quality of life implications. Its incidence is increasing in all parts of the world, but the reasons for this are incompletely understood. Genetic factors alone cannot explain such a rapid increase in incidence; therefore, environmental factors must be implicated.

Incidence of type 1 diabetes and distance from the sea: A descriptive epidemiological study.

Background: Increasingly, environmental factors are being shown to play a role in the etiology of type 1 diabetes (T1D). One geographical feature that exerts a major effect on climate but whose relationship with T1D incidence has not been studied is distance from the sea. This study investigated any possible relationship between distance from the sea and the incidence of T1D.