Diabetes Mellitus: Pathophysiology, Etiologies, Complications, Management, and Laboratory Evaluation : Special Topics in Diagnostic Testing

Diabetes mellitus is an ancient disease that continues to plague modern man. Although the frequency of many serious disorders, such as coronary heart disease, has declined since the 1960's, diabetes rates are approaching epidemic proportions in Westernized countries. Although representing only 10% of cases of diabetes, type 1 diabetes is also rising in frequency. The economic cost of diabetes is staggering, costing the United States more than $100 billion annually. Appropriate management of diabetes requires the efforts of clinicians, laboratorians, and pharmacologists. The goal of this book is to acquaint the laboratorian with the pathophysiology, the diverse etiologies, the complications, the clinical management, and, finally, the diagnostic and routine laboratory evaluation of diabetes.