ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in insulin secretion or action, or both. Diabetes mellitus may have been known as far back as the ancient Egyptians 1550 BC (Ekoé et al., 2008). In the middle ages it was identi¢ed as a disease associated with “sweet urine” and excessive muscle loss. It was even noted that there were two forms; one in young children that didn’t survive long and another in older obese people. The classi¢cation of diabetes has changed as the understanding of the disease has progressed. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) classi¢cations are based on etiology and clinical status. Although there are some differences in the WHO and the ADA speci¢c classi¢- cation schemes, the general categories include Type 1, Type 2, Other Speci¢c Types, and Gestational Diabetes. Brieœy, according to the ADA classi¢cation a diagnosis of diabetes can be based on: (a) unequivocal symptoms and a random plasma glucose of >200 mg/dL, (b) fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥ 126 mg/dL con¢rmed by repeat testing on a different day, (c) plasma glucose >200 mg/dL at 2 h after a 75 g oral glucose challenge con¢rmed by repeat testing (ADA, 2008).
