Diabetes and Glycohemoglobin

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus has long been recognized as a major cause of mortality and morbidity. The true frequency of the disorder is difficult to estimate because of differing diagnostic criteria but it is clearly the most common of the serious metabolic disorders occurring in roughly I to 4 percent of the U.S. population. It is a leading cause of mortality in this country, taking over 300,000 lives a year. Chronic complications of diabetes account for 50 % of lower limb amputations, 20% of end-stage renal failure and diabetes has become the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. Diabetes also accounts for 10 % of all in-patient hospital days in the U.S. and estimates of its annual contribution to the nation’s health-care bill range from $5 to 10 billion.