Diabetes mellitus.

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is the commonest endocrine disease of the young in Western populations. It remains without a cure and one of the commonest long-term medical conditions of childhood. Acute complications, such as diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycaemia, are commonly seen in the paediatric emergency department, while the longer-term complications remain hugely costly to health care systems worldwide. Early and sustained control of the disease is of great importance.