Assessment of Risk Factors for Type I Diabetes Mellitus: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

Background: Epidemiologic studies show that the prevalence of type I diabetes mellitus is different in several areas in Iran. The aim of this study was comparison of the risk factors of type I diabetes between the children with and without this disease in Isfahan Province, Iran. Methods: In a case-control study during 2013-2014, 175 patients with type I diabetes as case group and 350 healthy children as control group were selected from Imam Hossein hospital and Isfahan Endocrine and Metabolism Research Center. Risk factors of type I diabetes mellitus were compared between the two groups using SPSS software. Findings: Season of birth, number of children, duration of using infant formula, using vitamin D supplement during pregnancy, using vitamin A and D supplement during infancy, family history of types I and II diabetes mellitus, age of attending kindergarten, duration of breast feeding and age of starting supplementary feeding were statistically different between the two groups. Conclusion: According to the result of our study, in addition to genetic factors, several environmental factors have positive roles in the incidence of type I diabetes. Health providers must plan for reducing these risk factors.

Keywords

• Type I diabetes mellitus
• Risk factor
• Prevalence