Abstract

Diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disturbance of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism, results from too little insulin production or a failure of insulin to exert its effects. Insulin-dependent diabetes is always treated with insulin, whereas noninsulin-dependent diabetes can be treated by diet or with insulin or additional oral hypoglycemic agents. Therapeutic insulins can be prepared either from animal sources or biosynthetically. In addition, insulin can be mixed with other agents to provide therapeutic formulations having altered rates of absorption. Oral antidiabetic agents include sulfonylurea compounds, biguanides, and inhibitors of -glycosidase. Various aspects of the pathophysiology and treatment of diabetes, and detailed discussion of the agents used to treat diabetes, are included herein.