Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Arizona, USA.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a disease of adults and has been considered rare in the pediatric population. Over the last decade, however, there has been a disturbing trend of increasing cases of type 2 diabetes in children, particularly adolescents, and with a greater proportion of minority children being affected. This article reviews the clinical characteristics of youth with type 2 diabetes, presents the risk factors associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, discusses treatment options, and projects future directions in research. The ultimate goal is to raise awareness of this challenging entity among healthcare professionals.