Non-Insulin Dependent (Type II) Diabetes: Medical Overview

Abstract

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) frequently is diagnosed in the asymptomatic patient, and therapy is often a weight reduction diet alone or oral hypoglycemic medication without other instructions. In the past, patients were often told they had borderline diabetes and their physicians exhibited little interest in careful follow-up or vigorous treatment. Unfortunately, even asymptomatic patients with moderate hyperglycemia are subject to severe complications of diabetes. Appropriate therapy for NIDDM no longer permits a passive approach to the treatment program. Active involvement with efforts to modify the patient’ s dietary habits, behavior patterns, medication program, glucose monitoring, and medical follow-up is necessary. These efforts may create behavioral and neuropsychological problems which are as complex as the more commonly studied problems in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). This chapter will briefly review the medical aspects of NIDDM which must be understood if the behavioral issues are to be addressed.