Type II diabetes mellitus update: diagnosis and management

Diabetes mellitus type II (currently known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes) is apparently the result of genetically imposed insulin resistance. Type II diabetes is far more common than insulin-dependent (type I) diabetes, which is probably an autoimmune disease resulting in inadequate insulin production. The decade of the '80s has seen several changes in the management of type II diabetes, including: more widespread use of glycosylated hemoglobin and home blood glucose monitoring as surveillance tools; modification of the dietary regimen by advocating increased amounts of complex carbohydrates; use in this country of the second-generation oral sulfonylureas; and therapeutic trials of tricyclic antidepressants for relief of painful diabetic neuropathy. Diabetes mellitus type II is potentially preventable through encouragement of weight loss and regular screening for those genetically at risk.