Incidence and prevalence of diabetes in children aged 0-14 years in Manitoba, Canada, 1985-1993

OBJECTIVE - To estimate the incidence and prevalence of type I diabetes among Manitoba children aged 0-14 years from 1985-1993. RESEARCH DESIGN END METHODS - The Manitoba Diabetes Database (a population-based database of individuals diagnosed with diabetes based on Manitoba's health insurance system) was used to estimate the annual incidence of diabetes for the years 1985-1993 and the point prevalence of diabetes at 31 March 1993 for Manitoba children aged 0-14 years. The Diabetes Education Resource for Children and Adolescents program database was used to correct incidence and prevalence rates for ascertainment using the two-source capture-recapture method. RESULTS - The overall ascertainment rate of the Manitoba Diabetes Database was 95% for incident cases and 93% for prevalent cases. The average annual incidence was 20.4 per 100,000 for children aged 0-14 years. The annual incidence appears to be stable for all age-groups 0-14 years over the past decade. The point prevalence of diabetes among children was 120.4 per 100,000. CONCLUSIONS - The incidence of type I diabetes in children aged 0-14 years in Manitoba is higher than reported previously in other urban regions of Canada, but similar to population-based estimates from Prince Edward Island. The incidence appears stable in Manitoba over the past decade even in the 0-4 year age-group. The Manitoba Diabetes Database appears to be a highly accurate population-based source of data on the epidemiology of diabetes in children.