Risk factors for type 1 diabetes mellitus in children live in Karbala province-Iraq.

Background: The most important autoimmune disease which affects children is Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM). The main risk factor for this chronic condition is genetic that contributed to loci within the HLA complex. Even, the environmental issues triggering the disease are still unclear so this study aimed to identify the most important risk factors related to type 1 diabetes mellitus among children and adolescents. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 50 confirmed diabetic children and adolescents visiting AL-Hussainy hospital in Karbala. Time of data collection continuous for two month i.e. July and August 2019. After consenting for voluntary participation in the study, parents were answering a special questionnaire containing demographic and risk factors data. Results: The age range of participate diabetic children was (18 months-17 years), around 70% of patients have never had a family history of diabetes and only 32% mentioned having thyroid diseases among their relatives. Analysis of the related maternal risk factors was showing the majority (84%) was drinking tea during pregnancy; no one had a smoking history. Only 6% diagnosed with gestational diabetes and 3% were treated with insulin. Regarding factors associated with the neonatal period, all children were delivered in the hospitals and 68% of these deliveries were normal and more than half 54% had no disease during their neonatal life. Most of the participant children (80%) continued their breastfeeding for more than 6 months. Conclusion: there are a lot of environmental risk factors related to pregnancy, neonatal period, and early childhood widely distributed among patients with type 1 DM and may have their role in causing diabetes among those patients.