Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease that is increasing in prevalence in the United States. In 2007 the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) reported the following statistics:

• 23.6 million diabetic Americans
• 57 million adult Americans with pre-diabetic conditions
• $174 billion diabetes related costs.
• The seventh leading cause of death listed on 2006 U.S. death certificates; however certificates grossly underreport prevalence.
  

The discovery of insulin by Banting and Best in 1921 transformed the once fatal disease type 1 diabetes, into a chronic health problem. Before the 1920’s, children and young adults with type 1 diabetes died from metabolic starvation as a result of the inability to use available glucose.

There is clinical evidence that strict blood glucose control reduces the risks of long-term diabetes-related complications. Diabetes control is measured by both blood glucose and hemoglobin HbA1c levels. HbA1c levels are measured in percentage points and reflect the level of blood glucose control over the preceding two to three months. The HbA1c normal range is 4 to 6 percent. The American Diabetes Association recommends HbA1c goal for people with diabetes is 7 percent or under, which equals an average blood glucose level of approximately 150mg/dl. A large majority – approximately 90% - of those with diabetes require oral anti-diabetes medications, insulin injections, or both, to reach blood glucose goals.

The natural course of type-1 and type-2 diabetes have been altered by decades of continuous medical advancements. New classes of medications, self-blood glucose monitoring, new delivery devices and recombinant human insulin have combined to radically extend and improve the lives of diabetics.

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