Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Epidemiology in children and adolescents

In recent decades, type 2 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents has been recognized as a global health problem whose prevalence is increasing. The risk is clearly associated with the increase in body weight in the young population and therefore with lifestyle aspects such as overeating and too little physical activity. In regions with ethnic at-risk populations in the United States of America more than 30% of newly diagnosed cases of diabetes in young people (> 10 years) are already accounted for by type 2 diabetes. Little information is available in Europe on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in young people; according to what data are available its prevalence in this age group is very low. The scarcity of data means that no forecasts can be made concerning the time trend in Europe, while there is a clearly documented increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in young people in USA and parts of Asia.