Epidemiology of Type 1 Diabetes

Abstract

Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by both genetic and environmental factors, each of which accounts for approximately 50% of a person’s risk. The incidence of type 1 diabetes is increasing around the world, and evidence suggests that changing environmental factors may be responsible for the observed increase. Viral infections, nutritional exposures, perinatal factors, childhood growth, and other environmental factors have been explored as potential risk factors for type 1 diabetes. In this chapter, we describe the epidemiology of type 1 diabetes, outline the incidence trends of the disease, and present the latest evidence regarding the genetic and environmental risk factors for type 1 diabetes.