[Diagnosis of insulin-dependent diabetes in children: data from the incidence registry]. / Diagnostic du diabète insulino-dépendant de l'enfant: données du registre d'incidence.

Prospective registry of newly diagnosed cases of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in subjects under 20 years began in 1988 in Aquitaine, Lorraine, Basse- and Haute-Normandie (population base = 2,288,018 inhabitants under 20). The registry gave a complete coverage of the population as the capture-recapture method gave a 98% yield. The mean annual incidence was 7.6/100,000 for the period 1988-1990. A specific survey aimed at describing clinical and biological presentation at diagnosis. The main symptom was polyuria in 98% of the cases, fatigue in 58% and weight loss in 44%. Abdominal pain was reported in 34% of the cases. Diagnosis was ascertained by measurement of plasma glucose, which was > or = 11 mmol/l in 95% of the cases and associated with ketonuria in 84% of the children. Coma in 13% of the children and acidosis (total CO2 < or = 18 mmol/l) in 48% showed the severity at diagnosis. Ketonuria and acidosis were significantly more frequent in the younger age group (0-4 yr). Diagnosis was made by a general practitioner in the majority of the cases; conversely insulinotherapy was initiated at the hospital in 95% of the cases. Initial insulin treatment was 2 daily injections. Following the French experience the collaborative network EURODIAB ACE has undertaken the same survey among the European Registries. Important geographical variations in incidence rates of IDDM in children has been reported across Europe but it is not known whether this interferes with presentation at diagnosis of the disease.

Clinical and laboratory features of type 1 diabetic children at the time of diagnosis.

The French incidence study has registered all new cases of Type 1 diabetic children under 20 years of age, from a population of 2.32 million, in an exhaustive and prospective manner. Three hundred and forty cases were identified between 1 January 1988 and 31 December 1989, yielding a mean annual incidence rate 7.3 per 10(5). The lowest rate was observed in the youngest age group (0-4 yr: 4.1 per 10(5)) and the highest around pubertal development (10-14 yr: 11.5 per 10(5)). Details of the previous personal and family history, and the clinical and biological pictures of the disease at diagnosis were recorded. Almost 8 per cent of the children had a first-degree relative with Type 1 diabetes. Polyuria, weight loss, fatigue and abdominal pain were the most frequently reported symptoms, which were of median duration 4.4 months. Mean weight loss before diagnosis was 9.4 +/- 6.8 (+/- SD)% of body weight and was not significantly related to age. Ketonuria was detected in 83.8 per cent and acidosis (total CO2 less than or equal to 18 mmol l-1, if measured) in 48 per cent of the cases. Ketonuria and acidosis were significantly more frequent in the younger age group than in the rest of the group (p less than 0.001).

[Incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes occurring before 20 years of age in France]. / Incidence du diabète insulinodépendant survenant avant l'âge de 20 ans en France.

Incidence rates of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) are distributed over Europe along a North to South gradient where the values observed in Finland are 7-fold greater than in the South. According to previous data, France represented the bottom of this gradient. A survey in 1988 and 1989 was conducted in order to record all newly diagnosed diabetic children under 20 years of age, in 4 French regions: Aquitaine, Lorraine, lower Normandie, upper Normandie. The mean annual incidence rate was 7.3/10(5), without any significant geographical variation. Age-specific incidence rates indicated two peaks: one in the younger age group and the other around puberty, already described in most incidence studies. The study confirms that France is a country with one of the lowest incidence rate in Europe. It also suggests that incidence has increased over the past decades as in other countries.

Incidence of juvenile type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in France.

The incidence rate of juvenile Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes in France was reported as the lowest in Europe 13 years ago, but during the recent years increasing rates have been observed in different European countries. A prospective programme has been designed to study the incidence rate of Type 1 diabetes in patients up to 20 years of age in four regions located in the north and south of France (population less than 20 years = 2.31 million inhabitants; 15% of the French population). All cases were independently identified by four specially trained research assistants through hospital admission files, paediatricians, diabetologists and general practitioners. A specific questionnaire was filled out for each newly diagnosed case. Degree of ascertainment was 96% with the data from Sécurité Sociale, the French National Health Insurance. In 1988, 166 cases of juvenile Type 1 diabetes were identified. The incidence rate was 7.17 cases per 10(5) children (95% confidence interval = 6.1-8.2/10(5). The values were not statistically different among the four regions. Age specific incidence rates were as follows: 0-4 years = 3.8; 5-9 years = 8.0; 10-14 years = 9.7 and 15-19 years = 7.3/10(5). Sex ratio was 1.2 (male/female). These data indicate that incidence of juvenile Type 1 diabetes in France was higher in 1988 than previously reported but remains lower than in Northern Europe. This is consistent with the concept of a north to south gradient of the disease.