ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disorder. Approximately 800,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year.
The prevalence of diabetes is 8.2% among all men and women in the United States. The frequency of the disease increases to 18.4% in individuals 65 years of age or older. Diabetes is a disease of the
endocrine pancreas
. Some risk factors for diabetes mellitus are presented in Table 19.1.
