Very High Incidence of Type 1 Diabetes Among Children Aged Under 15 Years in Tlemcen, Northwest Algeria (2015-2018)

Objective: In Algeria, there is a lack of epidemiological data concerning childhood type 1 diabetes (T1D).The International Diabetes Federation estimated in 2019 that Algeria ranked 7 th among countries with the highest prevalence of T1D.This study aimed to determine the incidence of T1D in children <15 years, living in Tlemcen in Northwest Algeria.Methods: A retrospective study using data from children (<15 years) who have been diagnosed with T1D in Tlemcen between 2015 and 2018, using the two-source capture-recapture method to estimate the completeness of ascertainment (%).Total average incidences, by sex, by onset age group, and by season of onset were calculated per 100,000 and per year.Results: During the study period, 437 new cases of T1D were registered, among them, 233 boys and 204 girls, with a sex ratio of 1.14.The average annual incidence rate of childhood T1D was 38.5/100,000 with a 95% confidence interval (CI): 35.20-41.79;boys: 40.51, 95% CI: 38.16-42.85;girls: 36.49,95% CI: 34.17-38.80.Overall incidence rates in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 were respectively 36.6 (95% CI: 33.72-39.48),38.7 (95% CI: 35.43-41.97),39.3 (95% CI: 35.97-42.62)and 39.5 (95% CI: 36.12-42.87)/100,000.Newly diagnosed children were more likely to present in winter and autumn.Ketoacidosis at diagnosis was diagnosed in 29.2%.Conclusion: The mean incidence of childhood T1D in Tlemcen was 38.5/100,000, this incidence is in the "extremely high" category of the World Health Organization DiaMond project classification of diabetes giving this region a very high risk.