ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus is a common health problem throughout the world. According to the World Health Organization statistics, the global prevalence of diabetes mellitus is approximately 155 million, which is expected to increase to 300 million in the year 2025 (1). The prevalence of diabetes is increasing significantly in the United States (2). According to the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), which was conducted between 1988 and 1994, there are 10.2 million diagnosed and 5.4 million undiagnosed diabetic adult patients in the United States based on American Diabetes Association criteria (3). Diabetes is even more common in certain ethnic groups. African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic Americans have a two-to sixfold greater prevalence of diabetes when compared with white non-Hispanic Americans (3,4).
