ABSTRACT
The pediatric obesity epidemic has contributed to the emergence of type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents, as reviewed in Chapter 25. Not only is type 2 diabetes in youth a recent phenomenon, but this phenotype is associated with a rapid onset and aggressive disease course. Unlike this diagnosis in adults, type 2 diabetes can develop within 1 to 4 years in otherwise normoglycemic youth [1]. Youth diagnosed with type 2 diabetes exhibit accelerated microvascular complications [2] and are projected to have a decreased life expectancy [3]. In addition, almost 50% of adolescents with type 2 diabetes are unable to maintain adequate glycemic control and will require insulin therapy within a few years of diagnosis [4].
