Diabetic macro- and microvascular disease in type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Before a patient develops overt type 2 diabetes mellitus, there is typically a prolonged period of pathophysiological change. In the common form of type 2 diabetes mellitus, there are years of insulin resistance, initially compensated by increased beta cell function, then impaired glucose tolerance develops, and finally type 2 diabetes. We know from studies such as the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) and the Belfast study that loss of beta cell function and insulin resistance are usually relentless.1,2 Thus, therapy to reduce blood glucose has to be gradually increased with time for patients with diabetes. What is less well known is that every person has a different slope for beta cell function loss which intersects with insulin resistance.