Maternal autoimmune disease associated with a higher risk of offspring with type 1 diabetes

Aim: The incidence of type 1 diabetes continues to increase. However, the strategies to prevent or reduce its occurrence are inadequate. Therefore, we attempted to investigate if mothers with autoimmune disease were more likely to have children with type 1 diabetes. Methods: We identified 1,288,347 newborns from the Taiwan Maternal and Child Health Database between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2016, and followed them up to December 31, 2019. We used a multivariable Cox regression model to compare the childhood-onset type 1 diabetes risk between children whose mother had or did not have an autoimmune disease. Results: The multivariable model demonstrated significantly higher risks of type 1 diabetes in the children with maternal autoimmune disease (aHR 1.55, 95% CI 1.16–2.08), type 1 diabetes (aHR 11.33, 95% CI 4.62–27.77), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (aHR 3.73, 95% CI 1.70–8.15), and inflammatory bowel diseases (aHR 2.00, 95% CI 1.07–3.76). Conclusion: This nationwide mother and child cohort study showed a higher risk of type 1 diabetes in the children whose mothers had autoimmune disease, including Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and inflammatory bowel diseases.