IMPE Abstracts

Objective: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) incidence in children varies across regions and countries. A large incidence increase has been observed in several countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study is to determine the trends in T1D incidence rates in Chilean children between 2006 and 2021, and specifically evaluate the effect of COVID-19 pandemic in this population.

Methods: We reviewed mandatory notifications of T1D in Chile's public health system (80% of the total population) in youth < 20 years between 2006 and 2021. Data were obtained from the Chilean Ministry of Health and were analyzed by gender, age, geographic areas, and seasons. Time trends of T1D incidence were analyzed by linear regressions.

Results: A total of 7,697 new T1D cases in children were notified and confirmed from 2006 to 2021. Median age was 11 and 51.3% were male. The average annual T1D incidence was 12.6 /100.000, with an increase from 8.4 in 2006 to 23 in 2021 with no significant difference between genders. A significant increasing linear trend of T1D incidence was observed with a significant annual increase (B=0.721, P<0.0001). A higher incidence was observed in winter and a lower incidence in spring. The highest incidence rate in the period occurred in 2021, the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, in which quarantines and lockdowns decreased and activities transitioned back toward normalcy. Compared with the T1D incidence rate of the two previous years, a 36% increase was observed in 2021.

Conclusions: Incidence rates of T1D in Chile are rapidly increasing with a significant peak during the COVID-19 pandemic years. The significant increase in 2021, greater than 2020, could be explained by the flexibility of the quarantine measures in 2021 which implies greater viral exposure. More information is needed to prove a causality with COVID-19.