REGIONAL VARIABILITY IN THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CHILDHOOD DIABETES IN ITALY

The incidence rates of IDDM in Italy show remarkable variability, Sard inia, a region with the second highest incidence rate in the world, co -exists with other regions with lower rates, We review and compare epi demiologic data on the incidence of childhood-onset IDDM in Italy, Pap ers published from 1980 to 1996 reporting incidence data in Italian ar eas were found by search of Medline(R) and non-indexed Italian journal s. The incidence data found cover only 57% of the Italian population. The analysis of our results shows how difficult it is to make a carefu l study of epidemiology of IDDM in Italy, The RIDI (the Registry for I nsulin-dependent Diabetes mellitus in Italy) project started in 1996 a ccording to international guidelines. The aim is to coordinate local I DDM registries, to promote the start of new registries in uncovered ar eas, and to standardize registration and data collection.