ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which there is chronic hyperglycemia because endogenous insulin production is insufficient for the demands of the body. The incidence and prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the general Ethiopian population are unknown. The World Health Organization Expert Committee on Diabetes Mellitus recognized the following clinical classes: insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, which may be obese or nonobese, and malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus. The clinical presentation of childhood diabetes mellitus, with acute onset of symptoms, severe symptoms, and tendency to ketoacidosis, is the same in Ethiopian children as in other parts of the world. Diabetes mellitus appears to be common among Ethiopians, and will become more frequent with increasing life expectancy and changes toward a more Western lifestyle. The Ethiopia Diabetics Association was organized in 1983 with the aim of disseminating to patients information about diabetes mellitus and its management.
