Type 2 diabetes mellitus in the pediatric population.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus, once considered a disease only of adults, is now being diagnosed at an increasingly alarming rate in children. It is still unclear whether the presentation, risk factors, course, and treatment of the disease are the same in children as they are in adults. Pediatric-specific prevalence is being linked to obesity and inactivity, and risk factors include being overweight, family history of the disease, and conditions of insulin resistance such as puberty. Although the clinical presentations of types 1 and 2 diabetes often are different, they can be similar, which makes it difficult to differentiate between the two. Metformin is the only drug approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in children, but other drugs are being studied. Prevention is essential. It is critical that health care professionals and the public are educated about this disease and that studies are conducted that focus on children with type 2 diabetes.