Abstract
This report is an attempt to measure the risk of developing diabetes mellitus in relation to age, sex and three selected periods on the basis of the analysis of diabetic patients treated at Joslin Clinic, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Of over 50, 000 diabetics at the Clinic, 12, 303 patients (5, 823 males and 6, 480 females) were chosen for the analysis according to a certain criterion of selection.
The age and sex distribution of the patients was first determined. The distribution was then adjusted taking into account the age and sex composition of the general population of Massachusetts. The following observations may be made:
1) The age distribution is similar for the three selected periods (1930-39, 1940-49 and 1950-56), although remarkable improvement in medical treatment took place during these periods.
2) The age distribution is essentially the same for the two sexes.
3) The distribution shows that the risk of developing diabetes mellitus increases with increasing age, except for a surplus around the ages of 10-14.
4) The surplus suggests that juvenile diabetes, in the nature of causation, may be different from the adult form of the disease. Males appear to reach the peak of the surplus 2-3 years later than females.
