A new study has been published in JAMA that updates estimates of type 1 diabetes prevalence and “characterized rates in population subgroups.”
The researchers “analyzed the 2019 to 2022 cycles of the National Health Interview Survey (NIHS)” regarding type 1 diabetes prevalence in both youths and adults. Then, this data was split into several subgroups across age, sex, and racial and ethnic lines.
In the end, “the analysis included 110,283 adults…and 30,708 youths.” The reported prevalence of type 1 diabetes per 1,000 for youths was 3.5, with “the highest rates among those aged 10 to 17 years, males, Hispanic youths, and non-Hispanic White participants. Among adults, the reported prevalence (per 1,000) was 5.3 and was highest among those aged 45 to 64 years and 65 years or older, non-Hispanic Black participants, and non-Hispanic White adults.”
The results of the study are “consistent with the CDC’s estimates for 2021,” showing that nearly 4 in every 1,000 youths and 5 in every 1,000 adults in the US reported having type 1 diabetes. Data on middle-aged and older adults remains “sparse” despite the fact that “emerging evidence suggests a high prevalence of type 1 diabetes” in those cohorts.
The researchers also found a “substantial burden of type 1 diabetes in racial and ethnic minority youths and adults,” writing that “these patients have less access to care and state-of-the-art diabetes technology, contributing to disparities in glycemic control and complications.”
The study can be found on the JAMA Network website.
