Incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes in the first sixteen years of life.

The incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes in the first 16 years of life in a nationally representative sample was 1-42 per 1000 population. This incidence is larger than that found in previous studies of diabetes in comparable age-groups and suggests an overall increase in incidence in this country. 23% of the diabetics had a history of diabetes in a first-degree relative, which is higher than reported previously. There was no evidence to suggest any association between prenatal and postnatal infections and diabetes.