Type 2 diabetes mellitus in pediatrics: a new challenge

Michelle Van Name, Nicola Santoro

New Haven, USA

Author Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA (Van Name M, Santoro N)

Corresponding Author: Nicola Santoro, MD, PhD, Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 330 Cedar Street, P.O. Box 208064, New Haven, CT 06520, USA (Tel: 203-737-6356; Fax: 203-785-6421; Email: nicola.santoro@yale.edu)

doi: 10.1007/s12519-013-0438-9

Background: The increased prevalence of childhood obesity in the last few years has been accompanied by the increase in prevalence of type 2 diabetes in pediatrics. In this paper, we will review the risk factors and the pathogenic determinants leading to type 2 diabetes in youth.

Data sources: We searched on PubMed with the key words: obesity, type 2 diabetes, children, adolescents, youth, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, genes and selected those publications written in English that we judged to be relevant to the topic of the review.

Results: Based on the data present in the literature, we reviewed the following three topics: 1) the role of ectopic fat deposition, in particular of fatty liver, in the pathogenesis of pediatric type 2 diabetes; 2) the progression to type 2 diabetes in pediatrics and how it differs from adults, and 3) current theraputic options.

Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes in youth is a complex disease, creating new challenges in treatment and prevention.

Key words: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; obesity; type 2 diabetes mellitus

World J Pediatr 2013;9(4):293-299