Related Experiment Videos
Type 2 diabetes mellitus in adolescents
Heather A Rowell1, Barbara J Evans, Jill L Quarry-Horn
1Department of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, 17033-0850, USA.
Adolescent Medicine (Philadelphia, Pa.)
|February 14, 2002
Summary
Type 2 diabetes is increasingly diagnosed in children, even when oral medications suffice. This overview covers its features, treatment, and the link to childhood obesity, aiming to reduce long-term complications.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Metabolic Disorders
- Public Health
Background:
- Traditional distinctions between type 1 and type 2 diabetes based on age are blurring.
- An increasing number of children are presenting with diabetes manageable by oral medications, leading to type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnoses despite young age.
- Childhood obesity is a significant contributing factor to the rise in pediatric diabetes cases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adolescent patients.
- To discuss the relationship between childhood obesity and the increasing incidence of diabetes in children.
- To inform physicians about potential long-term complications and their management in adolescents.
Main Methods:
- Review of presenting features, pathophysiology, and prognosis of type 2 diabetes in adolescents.
- Discussion of screening and laboratory tests for pediatric diabetes.
- Analysis of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment options.
- Examination of unique complications in adolescents compared to adults.
Main Results:
- Type 2 diabetes is a growing concern in the pediatric population, linked to obesity.
- Specific screening, diagnostic, and treatment approaches are necessary for adolescents.
- Adolescents face distinct diabetes-related complications like hyperlipidemia and hypertension, requiring early screening.
Conclusions:
- Early recognition and management of type 2 diabetes in adolescents are crucial.
- Addressing childhood obesity is key to mitigating the rise in pediatric diabetes.
- Educating physicians can help reduce long-term vascular and neurological complications in young patients.