The Assessment of Correlations Between Neonatal Jaundice and Phototherapy With Childhood Diabetes Type 1

Previous investigations have indicated an association between modulation of developing the immune system with increased risk of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM). Objectives In the present study, we aimed to evaluate correlations between the positive history of blood group incompatibility, neonatal jaundice, and phototherapy with childhood type 1 DM. A case-control retrospective study was carried out in an Iranian Hospital in 2015. One-hundred subjects aged 1-15 years with T1DM were included as the case group. One-hundred healthy children were also considered as the control group. A questionnaire composed of demographic-clinical data was completed for each subject. Correlations between childhood type 1diabetes and some clinical risk factors were determined. One hundred cases with type 1 diabetes and 100 healthy control children entered the study. A significant association between maternal gestational diabetes mellitus and childhood T1DM was observed (P=0.05, OR=3.789). The history of neonatal jaundice in the case group was significantly higher than in the control group (P=0.02, OR=4.667). ABO incompatibilities in the case group were associated with 19 neonates with blood group A and 2 neonates with blood group B (mothers' blood group; O) (P=0.005, OR=7.397). In the case group, 29 of 38 cases with a history of jaundice had received phototherapy while in the control group, 19 participants had undergone phototherapy (P=0.126, OR=1.707). Results have indicated that neonatal Jaundice and ABO incompatibility could increase the risk of childhood T1DM. Moreover, maternal GDM should be considered as an increased subsequent risk of childhood T1D.