Living in Rural Areas During Early Childhood May Increase Risk of Developing Type 1 Diabetes

Recent research presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting in Vienna suggests that children residing in rural environments during their first five years could face a higher likelihood of developing type 1 diabetes (T1D) compared to those living in urban areas. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg, analyzed data from Sweden, a country with one of the highest incidences of T1D globally.

The investigation involved examining the residential histories of over 21,700 individuals diagnosed with T1D between 2005 and 2022, all aged 0 to 30 years. Using detailed environmental data, the team identified geographic clusters with differing risks for T1D. Notably, four significant high-risk clusters were located in rural central Sweden, where the risk was between 30% and 80% higher than the national average. Conversely, urban centers such as Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö showed lower risk levels, with incidence rates 20% to 50% below the average.

Further analysis focusing on the first five years of life revealed 11 rural clusters with elevated risks up to 2.7 times higher. Northern regions exhibited the highest risk, which was associated with land cover types characterized by forests and agricultural land, while urban and open land areas showed a lower incidence of T1D.

The researchers propose that environmental factors prevalent in rural areas during early childhood, such as exposure to certain viruses, pesticides, or allergens, might influence the development of autoimmunity leading to T1D. They speculated that increased viral infections in urban environments during early life could potentially have a protective effect. Future studies aim to explore these environmental influences in greater detail.

These findings challenge prior assumptions about urban exposure and autoimmune risk, emphasizing the need for further environmental research to understand how rural environments may contribute to T1D etiology. The results also highlight significant geographical disparities within Sweden that could inform targeted prevention strategies.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-rural-environments-years-life-factor.html