Pathophysiology of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), also called type 2 diabetes mellitus, is a common metabolic disorder that afflicts 2%–5% of the adult population of most Western countries, with, however, wide international variation (King et al. 1993). Furthermore, NIDDM is often undiagnosed even in the Western countries (Hortulanus-Beck et al. 1990), and numerous data indicate that undiagnosed NIDDM is not a benign condition (Harris 1993). Certainly, NIDDM is a leading cause of disability and death in developed and developing nations (Songer 1992).