[Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus during development in the population ]

This type of diabetes mellitus is generally considered rare in children and adolescents. The incidence of type 2 diabetes has increased dramatically in the past decade in some ethnic groups. This increased incidence of youth-onset non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM-Y) has corresponded temporally to an unprecedented increase in body weight and prevalence of obesity in youth in various ethnic populations. Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY), another type of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, is characterized by an early onset and autosomal dominant inheritance. MODY blood glucose is primarily due to beta-cell defects resulting in inadequate insulin secretion for a given level. In contrast to NIDDM-Y there is no significant increase in insulin resistance.