Diabetes is becoming one of the most common chronic diseases in the Netherlands. An age-related increase in the prevalence of diabetes of 32– 36% is estimated for the period from 1995 to 2010, at the end of which 400,000–500,000 cases are expected.

ne-fourth of the approximately 23.6 million people with diabetes in the United States are unaware they have the disease. While much is known about the population with diagnosed diabetes mellitus (DDM), data limitations have contributed to a paucity of information on the health care use patterns and economic burden associated with undiagnosed diabetes mellitus (UDM)— defined as unknowingly having an elevated glucose level that meets the definition of diabetes.

Diabetic foot ulcers and related maladies continue to be among the most common serious diabetesrelated sequelae, affecting some 68 per 1,000 individuals with diabetes per annum in the U.S. The pathologic process leading to the vast majority of foot ulcerations is a consistent one. In the face of neuropathy, pressure multiplied by repetitive moderate stress leads to inflammation and subsequent autolysis of soft tissue overlying bony prominences

Foot ulcers are one of the most common precursors to diabetes-related amputations. Other factors that have been associated with amputation, such as infection, faulty wound healing, and ischemia, usually do not cause tissue loss or amputation in the absence of a wound. Therefore, ulcer prevention is one of the foci of any amputation prevention program.

The International Diabetes Federation (Europe) has updated these guidelines on hypertension management specifically in Type 2 diabetes in the light of recent results of the first prospective, randomized controlled studies to investigate clinical outcomes in people with diabetes and hypertension. The guidelines are knowledge based, i.e. based not only on evidence originating from clinical trials, but also from epidemiological and pathophysiological studies. A successful management strategy requires the following components: 1. Regular surveillance to detect developing hypertension and other cardiovascular (CV) risk factors...