Diabetes mellitus, or simply diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has low or high blood sugar. This low or high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst), and polyphagia (increased hunger). Diabetes is a complex chronic illness which requires life-long management. All forms of diabetes increase the risk of long-term complications. These typically develop after many years (10-20). The major long-term complications relate to damage to blood vessels. The main "macrovascular" diseases (related to atherosclerosis of larger arteries) are ischemic heart disease (angina and myocardial infarction), stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Diabetes also damages the capillaries (causes microangiopathy) which lead to diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic nephropathy.
Journal of Metabolic Syndrome is a multidisciplinary forum for publications from all fields of Diabetes.
Last date updated on July, 2014
