RESUMEN
Type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM] in children and adolescents is becoming an increasingly important public health concern throughout the world. This study aimed to estimate the frequency of T2DM among diabetic young people in El-Minia Governorate, Egypt, and to detect its risk factors. A total of 210 diabetic patients under 18 years old in Minia Governorate were included in the study and underwent a thorough history-taking, a physical examination and laboratory investigations. T2DM was present in 28 patients [13.3%]; it was significantly present in 18 females [64.3%] and 20 [71.4%] of them had a positive family history of DM. T2DM patients had significantly higher BMI and waist circumference centiles for age and sex than those with T1DM. Also, haemoglobin A1c%, serum C-peptide and cholesterol levels were significantly higher in T2DM than T1DM patients. Finally, there were weak significant positive correlations between C-peptide level and both BMI and waist circumference. T2DM is no longer a disease of adults but can also occur in children and adolescents. The results suggested that obesity, female gender and a positive family history of DM are risk factors for T2DM. Also, patients with T2DM had poorer glycaemic control and hypercholesterolemia than those with other types of diabetes