Birth during the moderate weather seasons is associated with early onset of type 1 diabetes in the Mediterranean area

Adi Adar, Shlomit Shalitin, Ori Eyal, Neta Loewenthal, Orit Pinhas-Hamiel, Nehama Zuckerman Levin, Orna Dally-Gottfried, Zohar Landau, Amnon Zung, Floris Levy-Khademi, David Zangen, Yardena Tenenbaum-Rakover, Marianna Rachmiel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Aim: To assess the association of seasonal and perinatal parameters with early age of type 1 diabetes (T1D) onset. Methods: A cross-sectional review of all medical records of T1D patients born between the years 1990 and 2005, and diagnosed before/by the age of 10 years, from 13 university-affiliated paediatric medical centres in Israel, was performed. Data included: gender, ethnicity, seasons of birth and disease onset, birth gestational age and weight, and autoimmune diseases of the probands and their first-degree family members. Statistical analysis included the Chi-square test or Mann-Whitney test, as appropriate and multivariate regression analysis. Results: Enrolled were 1571 T1D patients at a median age of T1D onset 6.9 years (IQR 4.4,8.4); 336 of them presented before 4 years of age. The median age of this group was 2.5 years (IQR 1.7,3.2), and of the 1235 patients who presented after 4 years of age, median presentation age was 7.5 years (IQR 6.1,8.8). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that a more recent birth year; OR = 1.06, 95% CI 1.02-1.1, P = 0.003, and birth during the moderate weather months (September, October, March, and April) were significantly associated with younger age at T1D onset; OR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.17-2.4, P = 0.005. Conclusions: Our novel finding demonstrates the association between younger than 4 years old age at presentation and birth during moderate weather months. The results also support previous reports, that there is a slight increase in the annual incidence of T1D in the youngest age groups.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere3318
JournalDiabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews
Volume36
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • birth season
  • early onset
  • type 1 diabetes mellitus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Internal Medicine
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Endocrinology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Birth during the moderate weather seasons is associated with early onset of type 1 diabetes in the Mediterranean area'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this