Diabetic Complications: Current Challenges and Opportunities

Excerpt

The International Diabetes Federation estimates that 366 million people had diabetes in 2011, and that by 2030, this figure will have risen to a staggering 552 million worldwide. In 2011, diabetes was the cause of 4.6 million deaths and accounted for 11 % of adult healthcare expenditure in the USA [1]. The increasing incidence of both type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) elevates the complications of diabetes as one of the most important current public health issues. Complications of diabetes range from acute, life-threatening conditions such as severe hypoglycemia or ketoacidosis to chronic, debilitating complications affecting multiple organ systems, such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and cardiovascular disease. Estimates of the prevalence of diabetic complications are challenging, in part because there are no internationally agreed upon standards for diagnosis. However, a vast majority of those with diabetes will experience one of more of these complications of diabetes. For example, a recent analysis by the META-EYE study group reported that 93 million people worldwide suffer from diabetic retinopathy. For those with 20 or more years of diabetes, three quarters have some form of diabetic retinopathy [2]. …