Incidence and Prevalence of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus among Korean Children and Adolescents between 2007 and 2017: An Epidemiologic Study Based on a National Database

BACKGROUND: The incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) among children is high in Europe and the USA and relatively low in Asia, including Korea. The present study aimed to investigate the incidence and prevalence of childhood-onset T1DM in Korea and examine trends in incidence. METHODS: This study was conducted using the national registry data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in Korea from 2007 to 2017. We included children aged 0 to 14 years who were newly registered with a T1DM diagnosis each year (code E10). RESULTS: A total of 29,013 children were registered. The overall incidence of T1DM was 4.45 per 100,000 persons (girls, 4.93; boys, 4.01). The overall incidence of childhood-onset T1DM in Korea increased from 3.70 in 2008 to 4.77 in 2016 (P=0.002). The incidence of T1DM increased from 3.07 in 2008 to 4.89 in 2016 (P<0.001) among boys. Although the incidence of the disease increased significantly among boys aged 5–9 and 10–14 years, it remained constant among girls (4.39 in 2008, 4.64 in 2016). The overall prevalence of childhood-onset T1DM in Korea increased from 32.85 in 2007 to 41.03 per 100,000 persons in 2017 (girls, 35.54 to 43.88; boys, 32.85 to 41.03). CONCLUSION: We calculated relatively accurate incidence and prevalence of childhood-onset T1DM from a nation-based registry. The incidence increased by 3% to 4% every year from 2007 to 2017. The increasing trend is noteworthy compared with previous reports.