demographic and clinical characteristics of youth onset diabetes mellitus in kashmir india

diabetes mellitus (dm) is a major public health problem. objective of current study was to know the demography, clinical characteristics and etiology of youth diabetes mellitus (dm) in kashmir, north india. methods: a prospective hospital based study, carried out in the department of endocrinology, skims srinagar, kashmir india over the period from 2008 july - september 2010. setting: a teaching, research and tertiary care hospital at srinagar kashmir north india. participants: all the new youth onset diabetes patients whose age were less than 25 years and were admitted in endocrinology ward for various reasons over the period from 2008 july - september 2010. procedure: all children with diabetes mellitus less than twenty five years of age were enrolled in this study. variables recorded were demographics, clinical presentation, laboratory tests. results: a total of seventy two patients of youth onset diabetes mellitus were studied, forty six were less than 20 years and twenty six more than 20 years of age. there were 33 males (45.8%) and 39 females (54.2%). family history of diabetes was present in nineteen (26.4%), fourteen were less than 20 yrs and five more than 20 yrs. fifty nine (81.9%) presented with osmotic symptoms, thirteen (18.1%) with dka. hypoglycemic episodes were present in forty one patients. sixteen patients had nephropathy and nine had retinopathy. conclusion: diabetes mellitus is a major public health problem. type 2 diabetes mellitus is emerging as the form of diabetes in young diabetic patients, due to epidemic of childhood obesity.