National Statistics and Opportunities for Improved Surveillance,
Prevention, and Control

INCIDENCE

There are an estimated 60,000 new cases of diagnosed diabetes every year in Canada. This is an incidence rate of 2.6 new cases per 1,000 people among those aged 12 and over each year (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.0-3.2 per 1,000/year) (NPHS 1996/97, longitudinal file). Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are not differentiated in the NPHS results. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report an annual incidence rate of approximately 2.9/1,000 new cases of diabetes per year in the general population⁽⁴⁾.

Regarding provincial estimates, a 1996 Manitoba study reported a diabetes incidence rate of 5.6/1,000 among adults aged 25 and over for the period 1986-1991. This study used data from Manitoba Health's comprehensive insurance system to estimate diabetes incidence rates⁽⁵⁾.

Type 1 Diabetes

The incidence of Type 1 diabetes is available from a few provincial studies and is compared in Table 4 with rates in Finland and Japan, which are at the extremes. Comparisons among countries facilitated by the WHO have found the highest rates of Type 1 diabetes in Scandinavia, intermediate rates in Canada and the United States, and low rates in Japan and Tanzania. Type 1 diabetes incidence appears to be increasing outside North America. Because of limited data it is unclear whether Type 1 diabetes is increasing in North America.

TABLE 4 Comparison of Type 1 diabetes incidence rates in Canada, Japan, and Finland
Year	Population	Age group	Annual incidence per 100,000
1971-1983	Montreal	0-14	9.6(6)
1975-1986	P.E.I.	0-14	15.5(7)
1976-1978	Toronto	0-14	9.0(8)
1985-1993	Manitoba	0-14	20.4(9)
1990-1995	Edmonton	0-14	25.7(10)
1985-1989	Japan	0-14	2.0(11)
1989-1990	Finland (2 regions)	0-14	42.9(12)
Note: All data sources are registries with the exception of the Manitoba study.

[Previous] [Table of Contents] [Next]