Relation of antecedent illness to development of diabetes in children.

Information was obtained by postal questionnaire in 1663 cases of childhood diabetes of recent onset about other illnesses for which the family doctor was consulted in the six months before onset. Consultation rates in each of these six months were compared with each other and with rates reported in a concurrent study of morbidity in general practices. There was a significant excess of consultations for mumps in the six months before onset of diabetes (p < 0.001), the greatest excess being in the month before onset. These results support the suggestion that diabetes starting in childhood may result in a small proportion of cases from recent mumps infection.