Over 20 million people in the United States have diabetes, a metabolic disorder characterized by the body's lack of production or ineffective use of insulin, and the rate is on the rise. Diabetes can cause acute, as well as long-term complications when not properly controlled. Some of the complications may include coma, cardiovascular disease, renal failure, blindness, nerve damage, vascular damage, and poor healing which can lead to amputation. Though there is no cure for either Type I or Type II diabetes, ongoing effort to develop new drug and gene therapies continues. In the meantime, the...

At a time of dramatic increases in the prevalence of obesity, it is appropriate that Type 2 diabetes has received a great deal of attention by the endocrinology community. Clearly, the management of insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk is a critical issue. However, it is important to also acknowledge and address Type 1 diabetes, whose prevalence is also increasing, and whose management remains complex. Currently it is estimated that 10-15% of those with diabetes carry the diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, and frequently the diagnosis is not straightforward, as many clinicians recognize that...

With the advent of the worldwide obesity epidemic, a concurrent rise has occurred in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is affecting younger individuals-the disease is no longer exclusive to adulthood. Diabetic micro- and macrovascular complications are also occurring at an earlier age, leading to increasing demands and costs on the healthcare system. In addition, the morbidity, disability and premature death caused by diabetic complications create a huge burden to families, employers and society at large. Thankfully, there has been a...