[The prevalence of autoimmunological diseases in families of children with type I diabetes]. / Wystepowanie chorób o podlozu autoimmunoagresji w rodzinach dzieci chorych na cukrzyce typu I.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: type I diabetes mellitus is considered as an autoimmune disease and is often associated with other diseases of that etiology. The genetic susceptibility to autoimmune disorders causes type I diabetes to occur more frequently in relatives of the diabetic patients. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of type I diabetes and other autoimmune diseases in families of the children with type I diabetes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The prevalence of type I diabetes mellitus and other autoimmune endocrinopathies was evaluated in I, II and III degree relatives of 155 children with type I diabetes mellitus and 90 control children. RESULTS: It was observed that 1) diabetes mellitus occurred more often in relatives of diabetic children (in 22 families - 14.2%) in comparison with the control group (in 2 families - 2.2%); 2) other autoimmune diseases occurred frequently in families of diabetic children and they affected 2 or more members of one family more often than in the control group (18 families vs 4); 3) rheumatoid arthritis occurred more frequently in families of diabetic children. CONCLUSIONS: The familial prevalence of type I diabetes mellitus and the tendency to more frequent prevalence of other autoimmune diseases in families of diabetic children was confirmed.