Although Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2D) commonly develops in the 4th decade of one’s life or mid-to-old age (>40 years), the proportion of patients who develop T2D at a young age (< 40 years) is rapidly increasing worldwide. The prevalence of T2D in young populations varies widely among countries and ethnicities. The incidence of Youth-Onset T2D (Y-T2D) diagnosed at an early age (< 30 years) is increasing dramatically, mainly affecting emerging economies in Asia, Africa, and South America. Patients with Y-T2D are reported to exhibit clinical characteristics that are distinctly different from those of routine T2D patients. Patients with Y-T2D are reported to be more obese or have experienced early childhood obesity, poor adherence/response to the first line of anti-hyperglycemic treatment, and are shown to be highly susceptible to a more rapid decline in β-cell function.
These characteristics warrant that patients with Y-T2D could have different underlying pathophysiology and follow different clinical profiles for their progression to diabetic complications. Indeed, several emerging studies have reported that patients with Y-T2D are at an increased risk of morbidity in terms of their early progression to macrovascular and microvascular complications, as well as higher mortality rates.
A better understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of Y-T2D and the identification of specific risk factors that accelerate diabetic complications is necessary to develop early prevention strategies as well as appropriate management and precision treatment of diabetes and its complications. Keeping this as a central theme, this Research Topic is intended to provide a state-of-the-art compendium with a wide range of Reviews, Original Research articles, Perspective or Opinion articles, and Methods articles in this area of specialization. We encourage manuscripts that dwell around the following topics/keywords. Approaches that apply cutting-edge technologies to problems in the field are especially welcome.
• Precision diagnostics of Y-T2D
• Glycemic control challenges in Y-T2D
• Y-T2D registries and Cohort-based follow-up investigations
• Global Consensus statements on Y-T2D
• Genetic variants and Y-T2D
• Clinical characteristics and the unique pathophysiological features of Y-T2D
• Y-T2D and diabetic macrovascular complications
• Y-T2D and diabetic microvascular (nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy) complications
• Omics studies in Y-T2D
• Lipid abnormalities in Y-T2D
• Obesity and Y-T2D
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): Recently defined as Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD).
• Geographical and Ethnic differences in Y-T2D
• COVID19 and Y-T2D
Keywords:
Youth, Type 2 Diabetes, Complications, precision diagnostics, glycemic control, genetic variants
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Although Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2D) commonly develops in the 4th decade of one’s life or mid-to-old age (>40 years), the proportion of patients who develop T2D at a young age (< 40 years) is rapidly increasing worldwide. The prevalence of T2D in young populations varies widely among countries and ethnicities. The incidence of Youth-Onset T2D (Y-T2D) diagnosed at an early age (< 30 years) is increasing dramatically, mainly affecting emerging economies in Asia, Africa, and South America. Patients with Y-T2D are reported to exhibit clinical characteristics that are distinctly different from those of routine T2D patients. Patients with Y-T2D are reported to be more obese or have experienced early childhood obesity, poor adherence/response to the first line of anti-hyperglycemic treatment, and are shown to be highly susceptible to a more rapid decline in β-cell function.
These characteristics warrant that patients with Y-T2D could have different underlying pathophysiology and follow different clinical profiles for their progression to diabetic complications. Indeed, several emerging studies have reported that patients with Y-T2D are at an increased risk of morbidity in terms of their early progression to macrovascular and microvascular complications, as well as higher mortality rates.
A better understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of Y-T2D and the identification of specific risk factors that accelerate diabetic complications is necessary to develop early prevention strategies as well as appropriate management and precision treatment of diabetes and its complications. Keeping this as a central theme, this Research Topic is intended to provide a state-of-the-art compendium with a wide range of Reviews, Original Research articles, Perspective or Opinion articles, and Methods articles in this area of specialization. We encourage manuscripts that dwell around the following topics/keywords. Approaches that apply cutting-edge technologies to problems in the field are especially welcome.
• Precision diagnostics of Y-T2D
• Glycemic control challenges in Y-T2D
• Y-T2D registries and Cohort-based follow-up investigations
• Global Consensus statements on Y-T2D
• Genetic variants and Y-T2D
• Clinical characteristics and the unique pathophysiological features of Y-T2D
• Y-T2D and diabetic macrovascular complications
• Y-T2D and diabetic microvascular (nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy) complications
• Omics studies in Y-T2D
• Lipid abnormalities in Y-T2D
• Obesity and Y-T2D
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): Recently defined as Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD).
• Geographical and Ethnic differences in Y-T2D
• COVID19 and Y-T2D
Keywords:
Youth, Type 2 Diabetes, Complications, precision diagnostics, glycemic control, genetic variants
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.