23 Jul Risk for Type 1 Diabetes Higher for Boys than Girls in Later Childhood
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Prof. Oram
Prof. Richard Oram PhD
Associate Professor, Diabetes UK Harry Keen Fellow
Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science and
NIHR Exeter Clinical Research Facility
University of Exeter
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: In contrast to most autoimmune diseases, male sex is a risk factor for type 1 diabetes (T1D). This raises the hypothesis that either immune, metabolic, or other differences between sexes may impact risk or progression through stages of T1D. However, understanding the mechanisms for this could inform future interventions or risk stratification of individuals at-risk of T1D.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: Our main findings are that the risk of T1D is significantly higher in males than females when presenting with a single autoantibody. Risk is similar between males and females in childhood, where the risk diverges at age 10; risk in females dramatically decreases at age 10, whereas risk is sustained in males across the age 10 boundary.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Investigating interactions in the risk factors of T1D could help understand more of the mechanisms for progression to T1D. There is a sharp decrease in risk for females relative to males at the age of ten, which raises the question of whether puberty or menarche related factors and/or hormones may play a role in this relative difference in type 1 diabetes risk.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a results of this study?
Response: Further mechanistic work on the importance of age and puberty related changes on the immune system and beta cells may shed insights on the mechanisms of this difference.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Response: Thank you to TrialNet for the access to the data and to NIH and Randox for funding related to this work.
Citation: EASD 2024, Abstract 34
Trajectory of type 1 diabetes risk shifts after age 10 years between at-risk males and females
E.L. Templeman, L. Ferrat, E. Rideout, N., N. Thomas, L. Allen, M. Redondo, C. Evans-Molina, J. Sosenko, R. Oram, E. Sims
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Last Updated on August 2, 2024 by Marie Benz MD FAAD