Managing diabetes: current strategies

Abstract

Background: Diabetes is a significant cause for morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Current diabetes treatment goals involve more than normalizing glucose levels and preventing the acute effects of high or low glucose levels.

Results: People with diabetes are hospitalized 1.5 to 3 times more often than people who do not have diabetes, have 2 to 4 times greater risk of atherosclerotic disease, and have the highest incidence of adult blindness, chronic renal failure, and nontraumatic amputations.

Conclusion: The challenge that faces clinicians who care for people with diabetes is to prevent--or at least attenuate--the effects of the chronic complications of this disease.