Telehealth technology may be key to adequate screening of patients with diabetes

As I discussed in a previous issue, but worth repeating, diabetes affects 382 million people worldwide, fully 3.3% of the population. The number of diabetics is expected to double in the next 20 years.Type 1 diabetes is caused by a failure to produce adequate insulin and represents about 10% of patients. It usually has an onset at a younger age and a more severe course, and the date of onset is well known. Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance and represents 90% of patients. In most cases, it is secondary to lifestyle choices increasingly prevalent in advanced countries, including a poor diet, obesity, smoking and lack of physical exercise. The exact date of onset is usually not known because the signs, symptoms and laboratory findings are more subtle.