The Belgrade childhood diabetes study: prenatal and social associations for type 1 diabetes

The aim of this study was to investigate whether prenatal and social factors are associated with the development of type 1 diabetes. A case-control study was conducted in Belgrade during the period 1994-97. A total of 105 children less than or equal to 16 years old with recently onset of diabetes and 210 control children, individually matched by age (+/- 1 year), sex and place of residence, were included in the study. In the analysis using multivariable logistic regression, the following factors were significantly related to type 1 diabetes: poor socio-economic status (Odds ratio = 4.18, 95% confidence interval [2.01, 8.72]); higher education of father (1.53, [1.16, 2.03]); complications during pregnancy (3.39, [1.64, 7.00]); ultrasound scan during pregnancy (0.40, [0.20, 0.79]); gestational age > 41 weeks (11.11, [1.80, 68.52]); mother's consumption of foods containing nitrosamines during pregnancy (3.14, [1.68, 5.87]); and consumption of alcohol by father (4.54, [2.34, 8.79]).