[Diabetes mellitus and the health care transition]

To document the existence of an epidemiologic and a health care transition in Mexico, diabetes mellitus (DM) mortality was analyzed. Age and sex adjusted mortality rates were estimated for each one of the states of Mexico, as well as the mean age at death, the number of years of potential life lost, and their percent distribution. The geographic distribution of these variables was plotted in maps according to tertiles or quartiles. The proportion of deaths due to acute and chronic complications of DM was classified according to community size. Polarized patterns of DM mortality as well as in the percentage contribution of deaths due to its acute and chronic complications were observed, in agreement with the postulated transitional process.