In the second half of the 20th century it became obvious that a relentless increase in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), affecting the economically affluent countries, is gradually afflicting also the developing world. This chapter shows the threat that the T2DM epidemic represents to mankind,...

This chapter addresses the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in various countries according to geographic regions, as designated in an atlas published by the International Diabetes Federation in 2011. These include countries and territories in Europe, Africa, Middle East, North Africa,...

Diabetes is considered to be a genetically and environmentally based chronic metabolic and vascular syndrome caused by a partial or total insulin deficiency with alteration in the metabolism of lipids, carbohydrates and proteins culminating with different manifestations in different organisms....

The most common cause of end stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring dialysis is diabetes. Both environmental and genetic factors have been postulated as the risk factors of Diabetic Nephropathy (DN). Hyperglycemia‑induced metabolic and hemodynamic pathways are recognized to be mediators of...

Diabetes mellitus is a world‑wide health issue with potential for significant negative health outcomes, including microvascular and macrovascular complications. The relationship of hemoglobin HbA1 C and other glycosylation end products (AGEs) to these complications, particularly...

Fulminant Type 1 diabetes is a novel subtype of Type 1 diabetes. In this disease, extremely rapid and almost complete beta‑cell destruction occurs, resulting in nearly no residual insulin secretion even just after the onset. The number of patients presumably amounts to 5,000~7,000 in Japan....

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (a disease normally appears in the post 40 age group people) now seems to emerging in young adults at the level of global epidemic driven by the increasing burden of obesity. Evidence is accumulating to suggest that this young diabetic cohort is an aggressive phenotype...

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a multi‑factorial autoimmune disease determined by the interaction of genetic, environmental and immunologic factors. One of the environmental risk factors identified by a series of independent studies is represented by viral infection, with strong evidence...

With the incidence, and prevalence of diabetes mellitus increasing worldwide, diabetic retinopathy is expected to reach epidemic proportions. The aim of this chapter is to introduce diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness in people of the working age. The clinical course of...

Obesity and diabetes incidence and prevalence are rampant in our Westernized civilization; they are both increasing and carry with them many medical complications. There is clear evidence that aggressive treatment of these conditions, in particular preventing weight gain and ideally...

Insulin resistance, the most important pathophysiological feature in various prediabetic and diabetic states is partly related to impaired glucose‑stimulated insulin secretion and insulin modulation of pancreatic β cell with peripheral impaired insulin response. This chapter concentrates...

Some biochemical mechanisms are discussed which may explain the increased incidence of cardiovascular disease in diabetics compared to nondiabetic humans. Absence of insulin or insensitivity of tissues to insulin leads to hyperglycaemia and elevated plasma fatty acid concentration....

Gestational diabetes mellitus is one of the most common medical problems that results from an increase in the insulin resistance as well as an impairment of the compensatory increase in insulin secretion from the beta cells of the pancreas. It serves as a metabolic stress test that uncovers...

Whole organ pancreas transplantation is increasingly being performed for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. To date, over 32,000 pancreas transplants have been performed worldwide. The procedure is associated with significant mortality and morbidity in early transplant period. However, the...

Fat accumulation is a typical phenomenon in the pathogenesis of Type 2 diabetes. Also Type 1 diabetics are getting obese these days living in an environment with typical caloric overfeeding and low physical activity. Weight reduction is an important part of therapy in all obese diabetic...

Herbal medicines have been used in the management of diabetes in traditional medicine. This chapter reviews recent findings of the most popular herbs reported to treat diabetes through their relevant mechanistic pathways. These include increased insulin secretion, improvement in insulin...

Molecular components of impaired insulin signaling pathway have emerged with growing interest to understand how the environment and genetic susceptibility combine to cause defects in this fundamental pathway that lead to insulin resistance. When insulin resistance is combined with beta‑cell...

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder of glucose homeostasis and associated with long term vascular complications leading to morbidity and mortality. It is the fastest growing non‑communicable disease throughout the world. The pathophysiology of diabetes is complex and multifactorial....

Oxidative stress and diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2 as well as their related conditions have been extensively studied. As diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome have reached at epidemic levels, there is a huge need and effort to understand the detailed molecular mechanisms of the possible...

Diabetes is rapidly emerging as the new global epidemic. The prevalence of diabetes is expected to double in the next three decades. Diabetic foot (DF) is a major complication of long standing diabetes, accounting for nearly 35% of all hospital admissions in diabetic clinics. It also accounts...

Diabetic autonomic neuropathy (DAN) affects each tissue, organ, system and the whole body, and presents with a diverse clinical picture. Originating from endocrine factors, this neurological disease may cause symptoms, whose differential diagnosis needs a good knowledge of the whole internal...

Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is the most common, most neglected and difficult to treat diabetic complication. It affects the whole body, and presents with diverse clinical pictures. The most important outcome of somatic and autonomic DN are the development of diabetic foot followed by diabetic...

Management of patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) demands a comprehensive approach which includes diabetes education, an emphasis on life style modification, achievement of good glycemic control, minimization of cardiovascular risk, and avoidance of drugs that can aggravate glucose...

Diabetes studies have increasingly been associated with several types of cancer. Diabetes and pancreatic cancer have a unique relationship. Genetic mutations, such as activation of the KRAS2 oncogene, inactivation of the tumor‑suppressor gene CDKN2A, inactivation of the tumor‑suppressor...

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a risk factor for cognitive decline. However, the etiology of dementia and cognitive impairment in people with T2DM is probably multifactorial, and the precise underlying mechanism remains unclear. Good metabolic control in elderly subjects with T2DM may...

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease that involves the progressive destruction of the insulin‑producing beta cells in the islets of langerhans. It is a complex process that results from the loss of tolerance to insulin and other beta‑cell‑specific antigens. Various...

Optimal blood glucose control and the restoration of the physiological insulin secretion is a current medical challenge and will account for an overall cardiovascular morbidity and mortality related to diabetes mellitus complications. Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII) is the...

β‑cell (beta‑cell) impairment is central to the development and progression of human diabetes, as a result of the combined effects of genetic and acquired factors. Reduced islet number and/or reduced β cells amount in the pancreas of individuals with Type 2 diabetes have been...

As diabetes mellitus (DM) continues to be a growing health concern, many people have been turning to natural health products (NHPs) in order to manage this condition, adjunctive to, or even in place of conventional therapies. In order to keep up with this trend, research focussing on the...

The chronic metabolic disorder diabetes mellitus is a fast‑growing global problem with huge social, health, and economic consequences. It is estimated that in 2010 there were globally 285 million people (approximately 6.4% of the adult population) suffering from this disease. This number is...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents a heterogeneous group of conditions that share certain characteristics with hyperglycemia as a common feature. The first worldwide accepted classification scheme for DM was published in 1979 by the National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) and classified DM based on...

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by severe insulin deficiency and hyperglycemia, due to autoimmune destruction of pancreatic islets of Langerhans. A susceptible genetic background is necessary, but not sufficient, for the development of the disease. Epidemiological and...

Diabetes mellitus has been traditionally classified as Type 1 and Type 2 on the basis of several criteria that generally reflect either insulin deficiency or functional defects in insulin secretion. In this chapter, we propose a new classification diabetes based on age of onset, body mass...