Screening for preclinical type 1 diabetes in a discrete population with an apparent increased disease incidence.

Abstract

Environmental agents are proposed to play a role in triggering or exacerbating pancreatic islet autoimmunity in people genetically predisposed to type 1 diabetes. However, with few exceptions, these agents remain enigmatic. Clues to environmental agents may be found by investigating population/geographic clusters or 'hotspots' of high disease incidence. We were alerted to a small community where the incidence of type 1 diabetes appeared to be five-fold higher than expected. Because type 1 diabetes is now recognized to have a subclinical phase during which anti-islet antibodies can be detected, we aimed to identify and characterize a reservoir of children with subclinical disease in this comm..