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Young boys are more at risk of developing Type 1 diabetes (T1D) than girls, a study revealed.
It revealed that at the age of ten, girls' risk significantly drops while boys' risk remains constant. Furthermore, boys with a single autoantibody—proteins made by the immune system that target other proteins—have a far higher chance of developing type 1 diabetes.
The researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK concluded that this suggests that the male gender may be associated with autoantibody formation, highlighting the need of include sex in the risk assessment.
How did the study determine young boys being at risk?
The research revealed that male sex is a risk factor for type 1 diabetes (T1D), contrary to most other autoimmune disorders. This suggests that variations in the immune system, metabolism, or other factors between the sexes may influence the probability of developing T1D or its course through its phases.
The researchers examined 235,765 relatives of T1D patients for this study. After correcting for confounders, they evaluated the five-year risk for boys and females with type 1 diabetes using statistical modeling and computers.
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It was discovered that autoantibodies were more common in men (males: 5.4 percent, females: 5.0 percent). Males also had a higher chance of testing positive for numerous autoantibodies and had a higher absolute five-year risk of developing T1D. The group requesting additional research stated, "The change in risk at around the age of 10 raises the hypothesis that puberty-related hormones may play a role."
The results will be presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes's annual meeting, which takes place in Madrid, Spain, from September 9–13, this year.
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