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Children with enterovirus more likely to develop type 1 diabetes
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Children who have had enterovirus are at increased risk for developing type 1 diabetes compared with children who have not had the virus, according to recent findings published in Diabetologia.
Tsai Chung-Li, MD, of China Medical University in Taiwan, and colleagues used data from Taiwan’s national health insurance system to evaluate 570,133 children younger than 18 years with enterovirus infection and 570,133 age-matched controls without enterovirus infection to determine its effect on type 1 diabetes incidence.
There was a higher prevalence of atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma among the enterovirus group compared with the non-enterovirus group. The non-enterovirus group was less likely to develop diabetes (four per 100,000 person-years) vs. the enterovirus group (six per 100,000 person-years; incidence rate ratio=1.48; 95% CI, 1.19-1.83).
After 1 year of follow-up, type 1 diabetes risk increased by 50% among the enterovirus group. The enterovirus group also was more susceptible to type 1 diabetes compared with the non-enterovirus group (HR=1.48; 95% CI, 1.19-1.83). Those who entered the study at older than 10 years also were at greater risk (HR=2.18; 95% CI, 1.18-4.04).
“This nationwide retrospective cohort study found that type 1 diabetes is positively correlated with [enterovirus] infection in patients younger than 18 years,” the researchers wrote. “Whilst the evidence of an association between [enterovirus] infection and pathogenesis is observational, the conclusions are solid enough to guide further research on this association. The findings suggest that a vaccination strategy against [enterovirus] infection might slow the rising incidence of type 1 diabetes.”
Disclosure: The study was funded in part by the Bureau of National Health Insurance, the Research Center of Excellence and the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare Clinical Trial.
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