The incidence of type 1 diabetes among children and young people in Germany has increased remarkably from 21,000 to 24,000 announced the Diabetes Research Institute at the Helmholtz Center in Munich on the occasion of World Diabetes Day which falls on November 14 each year.
Type 1 diabetes is the type in which the body produces a small amount of insulin or is unable to produce it at all.
Experts noted that the rate of new infections has been increasing for some years, ranging from 3 to 5 percent a year.
In light of these numbers, type 1 diabetes has become the most common type of metabolic disease affecting children and young people in Germany, but the cause of the increase is not yet known accurately.
The Institute said it is likely to be due to environmental factors or nutrition of infants.
As part of a study called “Frieder 1K”, researchers at the Institute looked for early detection of type 1 diabetes in infants up to 4 months of age.
"For the first time, we were able to train the immune system early on to avoid an immune response."
Researchers hope this method will prevent long-term disease.
