Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Diabetes. Jun 25, 2015; 6(6): 850-867
Published online Jun 25, 2015. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v6.i6.850
Diabetes mellitus: The epidemic of the century
Akram T Kharroubi, Hisham M Darwish
Akram T Kharroubi, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Professions, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 91000, Palestine
Hisham M Darwish, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Jerusalem 91000, Palestine
Author contributions: Kharroubi AT and Darwish HM contributed equally to the writing of the review article; Kharroubi AT wrote the classification, diagnosis, and etiology of diabetes; Darwish HM wrote the molecular genetics of diabetes.
Conflict-of-interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest associated with this manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Akram T Kharroubi, PhD, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Endocrinology, Dean of Faculty of Health Professions, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Professions, Al-Quds University, P.O. Box 51000, Abed Elhamaid Shoman Street, Beit Hanina-Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91000, Palestine. akram.kharroubi@gmail.com
Telephone: +972-2-2791243 Fax: +972-2-2791243
Received: November 20, 2014
Peer-review started: November 23, 2014
First decision: February 7, 2015
Revised: March 25, 2015
Accepted: April 10, 2015
Article in press: April 14, 2015
Published online: June 25, 2015
Processing time: 211 Days and 20.5 Hours
Abstract

The epidemic nature of diabetes mellitus in different regions is reviewed. The Middle East and North Africa region has the highest prevalence of diabetes in adults (10.9%) whereas, the Western Pacific region has the highest number of adults diagnosed with diabetes and has countries with the highest prevalence of diabetes (37.5%). Different classes of diabetes mellitus, type 1, type 2, gestational diabetes and other types of diabetes mellitus are compared in terms of diagnostic criteria, etiology and genetics. The molecular genetics of diabetes received extensive attention in recent years by many prominent investigators and research groups in the biomedical field. A large array of mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes that play a role in the various steps and pathways involved in glucose metabolism and the development, control and function of pancreatic cells at various levels are reviewed. The major advances in the molecular understanding of diabetes in relation to the different types of diabetes in comparison to the previous understanding in this field are briefly reviewed here. Despite the accumulation of extensive data at the molecular and cellular levels, the mechanism of diabetes development and complications are still not fully understood. Definitely, more extensive research is needed in this field that will eventually reflect on the ultimate objective to improve diagnoses, therapy and minimize the chance of chronic complications development.

Keywords: Diabetes; Classification of diabetes; Type 1 diabetes; Type 2 diabetes; Gestational diabetes; Diagnosis; Etiology; Genetics

Core tip: Diabetes mellitus is rising to an alarming epidemic level. Early diagnosis of diabetes and prediabetes is essential using recommended hemoglobin A1c criteria for different types except for gestational diabetes. Screening for diabetes especially in underdeveloped countries is essential to reduce late diagnosis. Diabetes development involves the interaction between genetic and non-genetic factors. Biomedical research continues to provide new insights in our understanding of the mechanism of diabetes development that is reviewed here. Recent studies may provide tools for the use of several genes as targets for risk assessment, therapeutic strategies and prediction of complications.