Type II Diabetes Mellitus: An Emerging EpidemicDiabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by inadequate insulin secretion by the pancreas or cellular destruction leading to insulin deficiency. Depending on the cause of insulin deficiency, diabetes can be divided into type I and type II subcategories. Type I diabetes (T1DM) is usually mediated by destruction of pancreatic B cells resulting in decreased insulin production and secretion. Type II diabetes (T2DM) is the inability of these B cells to secrete adequate amounts of insulin to compensate for insulin resistance and increased gluconeogenesis combined with an overall resistance to insulin action (8., 1997). T2DM accounts for 90 to 95% of all diabetes cases. While T2DM is traditionally considered an adult disease, its prevalence among children and adolescents is becoming a major medical crisis, particularly affecting minorities and those who are genetically predisposed, and resulting from rising obesity rates. , sedentary lifestyles and dietary indiscretions. The disease is most commonly found in minorities, predominantly African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans. Studies of African American children have shown that, compared to Caucasian children, they have higher rates of insulinemia, increased B cell activity, reduced insulin clearance, lower insulin sensitivity, and greater risks of obesity (Arslanian, 2002). Although it is unclear whether these factors are due to inherent racial differences, lifestyle, genetics, or other biological factors, these issues could easily explain the higher prevalence of T2DM among minorities. It is widely believed that a combination of these factors is the primary cause of the relationship between race and diabetes. Some of the symptoms associated with type II diabetes include polyuria, polyphagia, and polydipsia. At diagnosis, 33% of patients have ketonuria and 5 to 25% have ketoacidosis, both of which can be tested for with a simple urinalysis (American Diabetes Assoc. 2000). Most T2DM patients are obese with little or no weight loss, which allows doctors to distinguish them from type I diabetics. The total lack of insulin among type I diabetics, or insulin-dependent diabetics, will lead to problems in the storage of fat and mu...... middle of paper ....... American Diabetes Association. 2000. Diabetes Care, Volume 23. No. 3: p.381-389.3. Arslanian, S. 2002. Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, volume 15: p.509-517.4. Nesmith, D. 2001. Pediatrics in Review, volume 22. No. 5: p.147-1525. Novitt-Moreno, A. 1996. Current Health, volume 2: p.30-31.6. Rendell, M. and W. Kirchain. 2000. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy, Volume 3: p.878-895.7. Sadovsky, R. 2003. American Family Physician, volume 67: p181-182.8. The expert committee on the diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. 1997. Diabetes Care, Volume 20. No. 7: p.1183-1197.