Diabetes, Vol 38, Issue 5 629-633, Copyright © 1989 by American Diabetes Association
Epidemiology of IDDM in black and white children in Jefferson County, Alabama, 1979-1985
LE Wagenknecht, JM Roseman and WJ Alexander
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
For the period of 1 January 1979 through 31 December 1985, an average
annual incidence rate (IR) of 12.1/100,000 (95% confidence interval
[10.4/100,000, 14.0/100,000]) of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)
was observed in Jefferson County, Alabama, among people less than 20 yr
old. Hospital medical-record review was the primary source of case
ascertainment. A large proportion of Black children in the county permitted
race-specific analyses. The average annual IR among the Black children was
less than half that observed in the White children (7.0/100,000 vs.
15.6/100,000, respectively). Nearly equal numbers of White boys and girls
were diagnosed during this period; however, there were three times as many
Black girls as Black boys diagnosed. Among the 134 Whites, age-specific
annual IRs were highest in the 5- to 9- and 10- to 14-yr age groups. Little
variation was observed in age-specific rates among the 41 Black subjects. A
seasonal trend was evident in both races, with the fewest cases of IDDM
diagnosed in the months of April through June (P less than .001). No
association between the incidence of diabetes and income level was found
among White or Black children. Significant differences in the epidemiology
of IDDM between White and Black children suggest an important avenue for
studying the etiology of IDDM.