Highlighting Diabetes Mellitus

The defining feature of diabetes mellitus is the presence of hyperglycemia. The most common forms of diabetes mellitus are type 1 diabetes mellitus, in which an absolute deficiency of insulin ensues consequent to pancreatic beta cell destruction, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, in which insulin resistance may lead to hyperglycemia. Obesity is an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus, and it is on the rise. Beyond obesity as a risk factor, it is known that a form of lean diabetes mellitus reflects a phenomenon in which fundamental defects in insulin secretion, on account of pancreatic beta cell dysfunction, primarily trigger the development of diabetes mellitus. As of 2014, 9.3% of Americans were said to have diabetes mellitus (29.1 million people); the lifetime risk for the development of diabetes mellitus in the United States stands at 40%. In addition to those with diagnosed diabetes mellitus, it is estimated that 86.1 million adults in the United States have prediabetes. The complications of diabetes mellitus affect nearly every tissue of the body, and diabetes mellitus is a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, blindness, renal failure, and amputations. Further, the early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adolescents and young adults (≤age 40 years) has been linked to a more aggressive form of the disease, with premature development of serious complications. Together, these sobering statistics underscore the vital importance of uncovering the root causes of diabetes mellitus and its complications to best design strategies for therapeutic intervention in this disorder. In this “Highlights” on Diabetes Mellitus, a summary of recent articles published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB) will be presented. Spanning studies at the cellular/molecular and animal model level, to translational and intervention studies in human subjects, these reports offer new insights into the causes and consequences of diabetes mellitus and shed light on plausible therapeutic targets.