Interbirth interval is associated with childhood type 1 diabetes risk.

Short interbirth interval has been associated with maternal complications and childhood autism and leukemia, possibly due to deficiencies in maternal micronutrients at conception or increased exposure to sibling infections. A possible association between interbirth interval and subsequent risk of childhood type 1 diabetes has not been investigated. A secondary analysis of 14 published observational studies of perinatal risk factors for type 1 diabetes was conducted.

HLA class II alleles and haplotypes in Lithuanian children with type 1 diabetes and healthy children (HLA and type 1 diabetes).

Objective: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a slowly progressive autoimmune disease. The genetic background of type 1 diabetes mellitus is polygenic with the major disease locus located in the human leukocytes antigen (HLA) region. High risk and protective alleles, haplotypes, and genotypes have been determined in Lithuanian children with type 1 diabetes mellitus and healthy children.

Environmental risk factors in prediction of childhood prediabetes.

Objective: The damage of beta cells occurs during the asymptomatic prodromal period called prediabetes before onset of diabetes mellitus. It is characterized by the presence of islet cell autoantibodies (ICAs). The aim of this study was to find out what environmental factors predict ICA seroconversion in healthy schoolchildren in Lithuania.

Higher prevalence of autoantibodies to insulin and GAD65 in Swedish compared to Lithuanian children with type 1 diabetes.

We compared the prevalence of beta-cell autoantibodies and genetic risk factors in Sweden and Lithuania. Ninety-six patients from Sweden and 96 from Lithuania matched for age and gender (1-15 years old, median age 9.0 years) were included.

Longer breastfeeding is an independent protective factor against development of type 1 diabetes mellitus in childhood.

Background: Early weaning diet, early introduction of breast milk substitution and cow's milk have been shown to increase the risk of type 1 diabetes later in life. It is also shown that older maternal age, maternal education, preeclampsia, prematurity, neonatal illness and neonatal icterus caused by blood group incompatibility, infections and stress might be risk factors for type 1 diabetes. We aimed to determine whether early nutrition is an independent risk factor for diabetes despite other life events.

Inheritance of MHC class II genes in Lithuanian families with type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) is caused by genetic and environmental factors. Twice as many fathers as mothers of children with type 1 DM have the disease. The reason for the differences remains unclear.