Incidence of childhood type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus in northeastern Thailand.

The incidence of type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus in children under 15 years from northeastern Thailand was reported. Data of new cases from 1991 to 1995 were collected retrospectively by a mail survey from 257 government hospitals in the northeastern part of Thailand. The incidence rate of type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes mellitus was 0.3/100,000 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.24-0.38). The incidence rate in girls was 2 fold that of boys. More than half of the cases were diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 14. These data indicated that incidence of childhood type 1 diabetes mellitus in Thailand is one of the lowest in the world.