Endocrine Abstracts

JOINT2112

Background: Diabetes is emerging as a significant threat to human health in 21st-century China. Accurate data on diabetes prevalence, incidence, associated mortality, and life expectancy are crucial for informing public health policy, yet such data remain scarce, particularly among children in China.

Methods: Data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 were used to estimate the incidence, trends, disease burden, and regional distribution of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among children in China from 1990 to 2021. Children aged 0 to 19 years with diabetes were included in the analysis.

Results: In 2021, the national incident cases of diabetes in children were 342, 121 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 265, 699-426, 246), with 204, 118 being male (60•0%) and 138, 003 being female (40•0%). The incidence was 102. 34 per 100, 000 (95% UI 79•48-127•50) for diabetes mellitus, 4•09 per 100, 000 (95% UI 2•82–5•64) for T1DM, and 98•25 per 100, 000 (95% UI 75•11-123•44) for T2DM. The incidence of T1DM in males was lower than in females (3•96 per 100, 000 vs. 4•24 per 100, 000), while the incidence of T2DM in males was higher than in females (110•30 per 100, 000 vs. 84•42 per 100, 000). From 1990 to 2021, the incidence of diabetes mellitus, T1DM, and T2DM in children increased by 156•5%, 24•68%, and 168•31%, respectively. T1DM-associated DALYs in children decreased by 70•23%, whereas T2DM-associated DALYs increased by 51•08%. Over the past 30 years, the number of diabetes-associated deaths in children decreased by 75%.

Interpretation: The growing trend of childhood diabetes in China, particularly type 2 diabetes, requires significant attention. Future measures should focus on reducing the incidence of type 2 diabetes and its complications in areas with high obesity rates.