Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is a heterogeneous group of metabolic disorders characterized by persistent hyperglycemia resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin activity, or both. Long-term complications of diabetes can include retinopathy, nephropathy, peripheral, and/or autonomic neuropathy. Type 1 diabetes is readily diagnosed since patients usually demonstrate the classic symptoms of diabetes accompanied by markedly elevated blood glucose levels. Thosewith type 2 diabetes are often not diagnosed until complications appear. In addition, there has been a considerable rise in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in adolescents and children in the last ten years. The three major treatment components of diabetes include diet (medical nutrition therapy-MNT), exercise, and pharmacological therapy. Each component interacts with the others to the extent that no modification of one can be made without knowledge of the other two. This article focuses on the pathophysiology, etiologic classification, diagnosis, and treatment options for diabetes mellitus (DM).
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