ABSTRACT

Diabetes is defined by a persistently elevated blood glucose concentration, leading to complications that can be acute and long term. Acutely, marked hyperglycemia impairs water and electrolyte balance and energy utilization, leading to polyuria, polydipsia, dehydration, weight loss, and eventually, cerebral dysfunction and coma. Chronically, hyperglycemia impairs a variety of cell functions, leading in particular to complications in blood vessels and nerves. Diabetes is a syndrome, i.e., a combination of symptoms and signs caused by hyperglycemia, which may be the outcome of one or more different underlying mechanisms. A small proportion of diabetes is “secondary,” accounted by well-defined genetic or acquired disorders. However, the vast majority of diabetes is classified stereotypically as type 1 diabetes (T1D, formerly called juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent diabetes) and type 2 diabetes (T2D, formerly called adult-onset or insulin-independent diabetes), which accounts for approximately 85% of all diabetes.