ABSTRACT
The prevalence of childhood obesity has progressively increased in the last four decades [1]. In 2010, it was estimated that 43 million children were overweight worldwide, and this number is expected to increase up to 60 million by 2020 [1]. This increase in pediatric obesity is accompanied by an increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in adolescents [2]. T2D usually occurs after 10 years of age, after the onset of puberty, with an incidence estimated between 7.0 and 49.4 per 100,000 person-years in subjects between 10 and 19 years of age in the United States [2]. Recent data indicate that in the United States in 2010 about 20,000 subjects below the age of 20 showed T2D and that this number may increase up to ~84,000 by 2050 [3]. In this chapter, we will discuss the current knowledge and the future perspectives concerning the pathophysiology and therapy of pediatric T2D.
