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Pediatric respiratory infection increases risk for type 1 diabetes
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The development of type 1 diabetes by age 8 years was linked to recurrent viral respiratory tract infections in the first 6 months of age, according to study findings published in JAMA.
“Our findings show that viral respiratory tract disorders during the first 6 months of life significantly increase the risk of children developing type 1 diabetes,” Andreas Beyerlein, PhD, of the Institute of Diabetes Research in Munich, said in a press release.
Beyerlein and colleagues evaluated claims data from the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Bayern (KVB – Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians) on 295,420 infants born between 2005 and 2007 to determine any links between type 1 diabetes and infection type during the first 2 years of life and respiratory tract infection in the first 6 months of life. Data on juvenile idiopathic arthritis were included to serve as a control autoimmune disease.
During a median follow-up of 8.5 years, 720 children developed type 1 diabetes, for an incidence of 29 diagnoses per 100,000 children annually. Ninety-three percent of all participants had at least one infection before age 2 years, and 96.7% of those with type 1 diabetes had at least one infection; most of these infections were respiratory (87.1%) and viral (83.5%).
Thirty-eight percent of participants who developed type 1 diabetes and 34.2% who did not develop type 1 diabetes experienced respiratory tract infections between birth and age 2.9 months or from age 3 to 5.9 months. The risk for type 1 diabetes was greater in participants who experienced a respiratory tract infection during those age intervals compared with those who did not (HR = 1.17; 95% CI, 1-1.37). Thirty-four percent of participants who developed type 1 diabetes and 29.4% of those who did not experienced a viral infection between birth and age 5.9 months; there was an increased risk for type 1 diabetes in participants who experienced a viral infection compared with those who did not (HR = 1.19; 95% CI, 1.01-1.39). Further, children who experienced respiratory infections, and viral infections in particular, during both age intervals were at even higher risk for developing type 1 diabetes.
Respiratory tract infections during the first 6 months of life were not associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
“Now, for the first time, we were able to confirm this in a population-based dataset of almost 300,000 children,” study researcher Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, MD, also of the Institute of Diabetes Research, said in the release. “In particular, we found strong indications that the first 6 months are an especially sensitive stage in life. This is also consistent with other results that we have published based on data from children with increased familial risk, which already suggested that the first half year of life is crucial for the development of the immune system and of autoimmune disease such as type 1 diabetes.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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