Emerging therapeutic approaches for the management of diabetes mellitus and macrovascular complications

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) affects an estimated 25.8 million people in the United States and is the 7th leading cause of death. While effective therapy can prevent or delay the complications that are associated with diabetes, according to the Center for Disease Control, 35% of Americans with DM are undiagnosed, and another 79 million Americans have blood glucose levels that greatly increase their risk of developing DM in the next several years. One of the Healthy People 2020 goals is to reduce the disease and economic burden of DM and improve the quality of life for all persons who have, or are at risk for, DM. Achieving this goal requires a concentrated focus on improving the management of diabetes and in targeting prevention of macrovascular complications. This article reviews established and emerging therapeutic approaches for managing DM and prevention of macrovascular complications.