Achieving Adequate Glycemic Control in Diabetes Patients
Lauren S. Schlesselman, PharmD
Diabetes mellitus, which affects 6% of the US population, is a group of disorders characterized by hyperglycemia caused by inadequate insulin secretion and/or inadequate insulin effect due to resistance.

Although there are many types of diabetes, the most common are type 1 and type 2 diabetes, as classified by the American Diabetes Association Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus.

Type 1 diabetes, caused by an absolute deficiency in insulin secretion, typically presents itself during childhood or early adulthood. The lack of insulin results from the autoimmune destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas and the islet cells.