The Johns Hopkins Guide to Diabetes: For Patients and Families (2nd edition)

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic disease of insulin deficiency. Type 1 diabetes is caused by the failure of pancreatic beta-cells. Its idiopathic form has no known cause. The majority of sufferers have type 2 diabetes, in which the beta cells produce insulin but the appropriate receptors have become insulin-resistant and glucose transport has become ineffective. There is a strong genetic component, but other risk factors include, most especially, obesity, lack of physical activity and hypertension. Diabetes is a leading cause of death: it is estimated to be a contributory factor in about 50 per cent of heart attacks and 75...