Childhood diabetes: a practical guide for child psychiatrists

Diabetes mellitus in childhood is almost always insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). The UK prevalence is 1 in 600 children under 16 years of age (Metcalfe & Baum, 1991) and the incidence is 13.5 new cases per 100 000 children per year aged 15 years and under. One quarter of newly diagnosed cases in the UK are under the age of five years, half are aged between 10 and 14 years.