No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

The global prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in adolescents and young adults is dramatically increasing. As with older onset type 2 diabetes, the major predisposing risk factors are obesity, family history and sedentary lifestyle. Onset of diabetes at a younger age is associated with longer disease exposure and increased risk for chronic complications affecting more individuals of working age and accentuating adverse societal impact of the disease. Evidence is also accumulating that young diabetic cohorts represent an aggressive phenotype leading to premature development of complications with an adverse impact on quality of life and unfavourably influencing long term outcomes, raising the possibility of a future public health catastrophe. In this review we describe the epidemiology and current knowledge regarding pathophysiology, risk factors, complications and management of type 2 diabetes in adolescents and young adults. KEY WORDS Type 2 diabetes, early-onset, young, youth, children, adolescents.