Prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus in Karnal district, Haryana state, India

BACKGROUND: Little work has been done on the prevalence of type 1 diabetes in north India. This paper reports the prevalence of type 1 diabetes in Karnal district of Haryana state, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prevalence of type 1 diabetes was assessed by a hospital-based registry and by analysis of data contributed by chemists and other physicians. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of type 1 diabetes in Karnal district is 10.20/100,000 population, with a higher prevalence in urban (26.6/100,000) as compared to rural areas (4.27/100,000). Karnal city, with a population of 222017, has a relatively high prevalence of type 1 diabetes (31.9/100,000). The prevalence in men is higher (11.56/100,000) than in women (8.6/100,000). In the 5 to 16 years age group, the prevalence is 22.22/100,000, while in the 0-5 years age group, prevalence is 3.82/100,000. CONCLUSIONS: This report highlights the urban-rural and male-female gradient in the prevalence of type 1 diabetes in Karnal, north India.