Global, regional, and national burden of type 1 diabetes in adolescents and young adults

Background Type 1 diabetes (T1D) incidence in adolescents varies widely, but has increased globally in recent years. This study reports T1D burden among adolescents and young adults aged 10–24-year-old age group at global, regional, and national levels. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, we described the burden of T1D in the 10–24-year-old age group. We further analyzed these trends by age, sex, and the Social Development Index. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to assess temporal trends. Results T1D incidence among adolescents and young adults increased from 7·78 per 100,000 population (95% UI, 5·27–10·60) in 1990 to 11·07 per 100,000 population (95% UI, 7·42–15·34) in 2019. T1D mortality increased from 5701·19 (95% UI, 4642·70–6444·08) in 1990 to 6,123·04 (95% UI, 5321·82–6887·08) in 2019, representing a 7·40% increase in mortality. The European region had the highest T1D incidence in 2019. Middle-SDI countries exhibited the largest increase in T1D incidence between 1990 and 2019. Conclusion T1D is a growing health concern globally, and T1D burden more heavily affects countries with low SDI. Specific measures and effective collaboration among countries with different SDIs are required to improve diabetes care in adolescents. Impact We assessed trends in T1D incidence and burden among youth in the 10–24-year-old age group by evaluating data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Our results demonstrated that global T1D incidence in this age group increased over the past 30 years, with the European region having the highest T1D incidence. Specific measures and effective collaboration among countries with different SDIs are required to improve diabetes care in adolescents.