Molinaro Ross J
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
MLO Med Lab Obs. 2011 Feb;43(2):8, 10, 12 passim; quiz 16-7.
Diabetes is a devastating disease that accounts for more than $132 billion in healthcare costs annually in the U.S., and these costs are predicted to rise as high as $192 billion by the year 2020 (see recent statistics from AHRQ on page 12). For many people with diabetes, the life expectancy is shorter than that of age-matched non-diabetics. This fate is due to both the microvascular and macrovascular complications resulting from prolonged hyperglycemia. Current ADA guidelines for diagnosis include measures of plasma glucose and Alc, a glycated form of hemoglobin that has been used for many years as a marker of average glycemia. To see how Alc affects the overall number of people in the U.S. diagnosed with diabetes as a result of the test's greater practicality will be interesting. Significant progress has been made in diabetes research through the use of stem-cell technology, molecular DNA methods, and discoveries of novel insulin-controlling systems in the body. Several federally funded diabetes-research centers across the United States are currently continuing these efforts and, ultimately, hope for a cure for diabetes and its complications.
糖尿病是一种极具破坏力的疾病，在美国，其每年的医疗费用超过1320亿美元，预计到2020年这些费用将高达1920亿美元（见第12页美国医疗保健研究与质量局的最新统计数据）。对于许多糖尿病患者来说，其预期寿命比同龄非糖尿病患者要短。这种命运归因于长期高血糖引发的微血管和大血管并发症。美国糖尿病协会目前的诊断指南包括测量血糖和糖化血红蛋白（Alc），糖化血红蛋白是一种糖化形式的血红蛋白，多年来一直被用作平均血糖水平的指标。了解由于糖化血红蛋白检测具有更高的实用性，它如何影响美国被诊断为糖尿病的总人数将会很有意思。通过使用干细胞技术、分子DNA方法以及发现体内新型胰岛素控制系统，糖尿病研究已经取得了重大进展。美国各地几个由联邦政府资助的糖尿病研究中心目前正在继续这些努力，并最终希望能治愈糖尿病及其并发症。
