ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

To read the full abstract: Sci Rep. 2019 Jun 13;9(1):7727

As outlined in paper 10.1, intrauterine and early neonatal infections with a number of viruses are thought to contribute to the incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1DM) later in life. Amongst the viruses to be considered, enteroviruses have been found to be the most important. It is therefore important to know whether vaccination against enteroviruses would reduce the incidence of autoimmune disease, and in particular of childhood T1DM.

The association between rotavirus vaccination and the incidence of childhood T1DM was tested in this cohort of 1 474 535 US infants from 2001 to 2017 using data from a nationwide health insurance company. Completion of rotavirus vaccine series was associated with a 33% (95% CI: 17%, 46%) lower risk of childhood T1DM compared to unvaccinated children. Full completion of the pentavalent vaccine series was associated with a 37% (95% CI: 22%, 50%) lower risk of T1DM, but partial or incomplete vaccination showed no association. There was a 31% (95% CI: 27%, 35%) reduction in hospitalizations during the 60-day period after vaccination compared to unvaccinated children. Overall, there was a 3.4% decrease in annual incidence of T1DM in children aged 0–4 in the USA from 2006 to 2017, which coincides with introduction of rotavirus vaccination in 2006. In conclusion (here and in paper 10.3), rotavirus vaccination was associated with a reduced incidence of T1DM. Thus, and importantly, rotavirus vaccination may be the first practical measure that could play a role in the prevention of T1DM (and potentially other autoimmune diseases).