Treatment of diabetes in children (Review)

Abstract

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) mellitus are on the increase in children and adolescents. An increase in T2D is linked to the increasing rates of obesity in children. Usually, in both children and adults, T1D is treated with insulin while T2D is treated with metformin. There are other classes of drugs that are under assessment for their safety and efficacy in relation to pediatric patients. Most of these new drugs, however, have not been studied in children. Thus, the repertoire of drugs that are available to treat diabetes in children is limited. In this review, we outline the current pathology and treatment and future therapies of T1D mellitus and T2D mellitus in children.