Scope of epidemiology and daily practice in children with type 1 diabetes in the Netherlands

The most recent data on the prevalence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in Dutch children are from the previous millennium. The present study showed that the prevalence of T1DM has doubled in the past 30 years. The diagnosis is made considerably more often during the autumn and winter months, suggesting a role of viral infections in its development. We also found that children with T1DM are 24 times more likely than their nondiabetic peers to have autoimmune thyroid disease.
In the years 2009-2011, the average costs of treating T1DM were € 8,326 per child per year. These costs are likely to increase further with ongoing (technical) developments in T1DM care and because the incidence of T1DM is expected to continue to rise.
Adherence of adolescents with T1DM to optimal self-management proved to be of great importance in achieving the targets of diabetes management. When adolescents with an insulin-pump consistently administered insulin boluses before each main meal, they reached the target of good diabetes control (HbA1c ≤58 mmol / mol) almost 7 times more often than those who missed these boluses. With increasing age during adolescence, T1DM patients less often administered insulin boluses around their main meals and also checked their blood glucose levels less often. Ongoing involvement and guidance throughout puberty will be required from their parents and the medical team to monitor blood glucose levels and administer insulin boluses around the main meals.