Pediatric type 2 diabetes mellitus complications: a systematic review of the literature

Abstract

The incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are increasing worldwide in the pediatric population. The increase has been attributed to obesity, lack of physical activity, improper diet, and family medical history. Type 2 diabetes mellitus has serious complications for children, including cardiovascular problems, dyslipidemia, hypertension, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, pancreatic problems, pulmonary problems, and renal injury. Unfortunately, T2DM and its complications in the pediatric population remain largely understudied. As such, diabetes researchers, educators, and clinicians are forced to rely on information collected on adults with T2DM which may or may not be applicable to children with T2DM.

Body Mass Index and Incident Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Young Adults: A Retrospective Cohort Study

“…The rate of increase in obesity prevalence in children and young adults might have stabilized during the recent decade [ 6 – 8 ]; however, 37% of older children are now overweight or obese in the United Kingdom [ 6 ]. Observational and genetic evidence from traditional cohort studies has suggested that obesity is a well-documented risk factor for type 2 diabetes [ 9 – 11 ]. However, recent evidence exploring the association of childhood obesity [defined as the 95th percentile for body mass index (BMI)] with the presence of pediatric diabetes in a real world primary care setting has been less well studied [ 12 – 14 ].…”