The epidemic of Indian childhood diabetes in Leicester. Social and cultural differences between cases and control population

We have provided evidence in favour of an epidemic of childhood onset (<15 years) insulin dependent diabetes in Indian children resident in Leicester, UK. These children either come from, or their forefathers came from, the Indian Subcontinent. The present work examines the hypothesis that the amount of cultural adaption to English life is greater than their non‐diabetic peer. A trained Diabetes Specialist Health Visitor visited each family with a structured questionnaire; to enquire when the diabetes started, where they had lived previously, schooling, friends, diet and living conditions. In total. 32 patients were contacted of the 35. These families have been compared to the Leicester City Indian Census population. They are more likely to have been born in the United Kingdom; to eat meat; to live in detached or semi‐detached housing; to live in an area with few other Indians.

The preliminary results suggest that diabetic Indian children are more culturally anglicised than the non‐diabetic; a case control study is urgently required to verify this.