Trends in the Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes in European Children and Adolescents from 1994 to 2022: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Aim. To assess the incidence trends in type 1 diabetes among children and adolescents across Europe during the period from 1994 to 2022 using a systematic methodology. Materials and Methods. Cross-sectional or follow-up studies reporting population-based incidence rates (IRs) of European children and adolescents diagnosed aged <15 years with type 1 diabetes were included. The Mantel-Haenszel or DerSimonian and Laird random-effects method was used to compute the pooled IR estimates and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses were conducted by study year, biological sex, age group (0-4, 5-9, and 10-14 years), country, and European regions. Results. A total of 75 studies (219,331 children and adolescents aged 0-14 years) with data from 32 countries were included. Generally, a high overall rate of increase in type 1 diabetes incidence has been shown in most European countries from 1994 to 2022 in both sexes, with an overall increase from 10.85 (95% CI, 9.62-12.07) per 100,000 person-years from 1994 to 2003 to 20.96 (95% CI, 19.26-22.66) per 100,000 person-years from 2013 to 2022. Conclusions. There are substantial between-country differences in the current levels and trends of IR in type 1 diabetes in European children and adolescents. Our data suggest a worrying upward trend in most European countries.