THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY was to provide current and reliable informationabout trends in the incidence rates of Type 1 Diabetes in the Upper Silesia region in children aged 0-15years in the period of 9 years. RESULTS: Incidence ratio in the examined population increased from 4.71in 1989 up to 10.16/100,000/year in 1997. In the analysed group no significant statistical differencesdependent on sex were found. During the examined period, the incidence ratio has increased significantly.It was observed that the extent of change varied in different age groups. The youngest children (0-4years old) showed the greatest increase of the incidence ratio from 1.09/10(5) in 1989 up to 6.75/10(5)in 1997. The highest incidence ratio was observed in the group of 10-14 year-olds. CONCLUSIONS: In theexamined period dramatic increase (more than 200%) of the incidence ratio of type 1 diabetes was reportedin the children's population (0-14 year-olds) in Upper Silesia. The fastest increase in this ratio wasestablished in the group of youngest children (0-4 years old).

Keywords: Adolescent, Age Distribution, Child, Child, Preschool, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1, Incidence, Poland, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov, Sex Characteristics