1977 Volume 20 Issue 1 Pages 37-41
An epidemiological study of diabetic children in Okayama prefecture was performed. Questionnaires were mailed to all hospitals professing internal medicine or/and pediatrics and to all primary, junior high and high schools in the prefecture. Answeres were obtained from 51.6% of the hospitals and from 90.0% of the schools.
Twenty one diabetic children-10 males and 11 females-were registered. An incidence of diabetes was about 7 per 100, 000 pupils.
There was increased incidence in autumn and winter in 14 cases. In other 7 cases, diabetes was found out by urine examination in their schools. Five out of 21 cases were considered to be adult onset type and possessed either a familial history of diabetes and/or a history of obesity. However, eight out of 16 juvenile type diabetics had not these histories and other two cases of juvenile diabetics developed the disease following infectious illness.
The seasonal distribution of the incidence, abscence of diabetic family histories and preceding infections probably suggest that the onset of juvenile type diabetes might be induced by viral infections.
Fifteen cases were insulin dependent, 3 cases were administered oral agents and other 3 cases were well controlled with diet alone.
