Bonita F. Stanton, MD, Consulting Editor

In May 2015, the world learned that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) believes that Antarctica’s Larsen B Ice Shelf will disappear by 2020. This Ice Shelf is estimated to have existed for over 10,000 years. As recently as 1995, it was 4445 square miles; by February 2002, it was only 2573 square miles. Then, after another major disintegration a month later, Larsen B was down to 1337 square miles. Currently, it is thought to be about 618 square miles. This Antarctic Ice Shelf is expected to be gone by the year 2020 ( http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/16/us/antarctica-larsen-b-ice-shelf-to-disappear/index.html ).

This news is distressing for sure, but, you might be wondering, what does it have to do with an issue on pediatric endocrine disorders?

Well, actually, quite a lot. Please note that half of the articles in this fascinating and extremely well-written issue deal with diabetes. There are several reasons for this focus. One reason represents a “good thing”: there have been many advances in our understanding of the causes and treatments of diabetes.

Another reason is neither a “good thing” nor a “bad thing”—but is glacierlike. Like glaciers, diabetes has been recognized as a disorder of mankind for thousands of years. In fact, even the term “diabetes” was used by the Greeks over two thousand years ago ( http://www.diabetescausestreatments.com/history-of-diabetes.html ). In 1936, the two types of diabetes were recognized. Since that time, until recently, diabetes type II has been described as very rare in children.

The third reason is a “bad thing”: this long-recognized disorder has been increasing dramatically among children and adults in recent years. Since the year 2000, accompanying the greatly increased rate of obesity among children around the globe, the rate of diabetes mellitus type II has also been increasing dramatically. Diabetes mellitus II is expected to exceed 5% of the global population within the next decade; it already afflicts an estimated 4% of the population. It is expected that by 2050, diabetes may impact one in three US adults. Nearly all of this increase reflects dietary changes, and the global burden will disproportionately impact emerging nations.

Moreover, as is the case with glaciers, much of this increase is a result of things that we are doing, that potentially we could change—if society had the will to do so.