The application of epidemiology to the study of diabetes mellitus has provided new insights into many aspects of this major public health problem including its natural history, prevalence, incidence, morbidity and mortality in diverse populations around the globe. The main impetus came from the late Kelly West's book `Epidemiology of Diabetes and its Vascular Lesions' published in 1978. In addition, World Health Organization and American Diabetes Association Expert Committees made astute recommendations on the classification and criteria for diabetes and associated categories of glucose intolerance as well as methodological issues for diabetes epidemiology studies in diverse populations. These studies have provided direction for research into the possible molecular defects and biochemical mechanisms underlying both type 1 and 2 diabetes as well as important information on the extrinsic (social, cultural and environmental) risk determinants.
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