The incidence of type 1 diabetes among teens in Puerto Rico more than doubled from 2009 to 2021 and remained elevated through 2024, with an average annual increase of 4.1 percent, according to a study being presented Saturday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago, Ill.
The findings highlight a growing health concern. The study shows that type 1 diabetes is becoming more common among Hispanic/Latino adolescents in Puerto Rico, suggesting the need to better understand the factors driving this trend.
Because Hispanic/Latino individuals make up a large and growing share of the U.S. population, studying Puerto Rico separately provides valuable insight into health trends that may not be visible in national data, said the study's lead author, Natalia Vázquez Colón, M.S., of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Researchers conducted a population-based observational study of adolescents aged 15 to 19 years in Puerto Rico from 2009 to 2024. Data included 3,156 pediatric cases aged zero to 21 years during this period. They identified 612 newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes cases among those studied. Annual incidence rates were calculated using U.S. Census population estimates and expressed per 100,000 people.
Between 2009 and 2024, annual type 1 diabetes incidence rates among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years increased from 10.1 per 100,000 in 2009 to a peak of 24.1 per 100,000 in 2021 and remained elevated through 2024 (18.3 per 100,000).
These findings have important implications for both patient care and public health, including the need for earlier detection and increased prevention efforts, and the data may help ensure that clinical guidelines and healthcare resources better reflect the needs of Hispanic/Latino populations across the United States."
Natalia Vázquez Colón, M.S., study's lead author, Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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