Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in southern Chinese children: an overview.

Thirty-three southern Chinese children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) were studied. The patients had a mean follow-up of 5.2 years (range 1.2-8.2). The mean age of onset was 8.3 years (range 1.7-13.5). The mean duration of symptoms before diagnosis was 22 days. Ten patients (30%) presented with diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis. Only one patient (3%) was found to have thyroid microsomal antibodies and none was found to have hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Incidence and prevalence were calculated from data recorded retrospectively and prospectively in a population-based registry of IDDM. The prevalence in 1991 and 1992 was 8.3 per 100,000 children under 15 years of age. The age-standardized incidence of IDDM was 1.7/100,000 per year with the 95% confidence interval of 1.2-2.4/100,000 per year for children under 15 years of age during the years 1986-93. The incidence for males was 1.1/100,000 per year and for females, 2.4/100,000 per year.