Diabetes Mellitus: Insulin-dependent and Non-insulin-dependent

Diabetes mellitus is a fairly common metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia due to the loss of insulin-secreting beta-cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. The disease and its devastating complications cost Americans about $50 billion annually. There are two distinct forms of diabetes, termed insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). The first is an autoimmune disease; the second is associated with insulin resistance. Both have a genetic component. In the United States, the lifetime prevalence of IDDM is 0.4%, and that of NIDDM about 7%.