Diabetes: A Worldwide Epidemic

The dramatically increasing prevalence of diabetes, the shifting of disease patterns, and the emergence of type 2 diabetes in new subpopulations (namely children and adolescents) all point to the ongoing diabetes epidemic that is occurring worldwide. By 2025, it is estimated that 300 million people will have diabetes. Of children born in 2000, the estimated lifetime likelihood of developing diabetes is 1 in 3. Type 2 diabetes prevalence is increasing concomitantly with obesity, which is driven by factors such as changes in dietary patterns and increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Furthermore, diagnosed diabetes represents only a portion of the problem, with many people failing to be diagnosed and even more with prediabetes and a high likelihood of developing diabetes in the future. Diabetes is associated with a wide variety of complications, including acute complications such as hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia; macrovascular complications including cardiovascular disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease; and microvascular complications such as neuropathy nephropathy and retinopathy. The challenges facing healthcare providers who treat patients with diabetes include are numerous. Although tight glycemic control can reduce the risk of complications, there are numerous physiologic and clinical barriers to achieving it. The diagnostic rate is considerably less than 100%, and there is a general lack of awareness of diabetes and its complications. These factors point to the great need for education in this area.