The incidence of male childhood type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus is rising rapidly in The Netherlands.

This study evaluates the cumulative incidence of Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in male army conscripts 0-18 (inclusive) years of age in the Netherlands (birth cohorts) over 10 years. Data from 2136 cases were retrieved from files of the conscript registry of the Royal Dutch Army. Ascertainment was sought by the capture-recapture method, achieving an average ascertainment rate of 89.