Impaired Blood Glucose Level clinical trials

Early Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (DM2)

Rationale: The global prevalence of diabetes, along with its devastating effects on life expectancy and quality of life, continues to increase. Worldwide, the total number of people with diabetes is projected to rise from about 171 million in 2000 to 336 million in the year 2030. Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 85 percent to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes and is associated with a number of serious long-term complications, which are a major cause of morbidity, hospitalization and mortality in diabetic patients. More evidence is becoming available that both lifestyle and clinical intervention in the pre-diabetic condition are effective in slowing down progression of pre-diabetes to overt diabetes. Over many centuries, several forms of traditional medicine have developed which are often based on fundamental principles that differ from those of "Western" medicine. One of the most prominent characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is a more holistic approach to the functioning and disfunctioning of living organisms. Every healthy organism is in a Yin Yang balance and is considered to be a complex interplay between body and mind. Western medicine relies on detailed classification of diseases, empirical investigations and treatments targeting those disorders. However, "Western medicine" is showing an increased interest in traditional forms of medicine. Objectives: The primary objective of the present study is to determine consistency in classification of DM type 2 in three categories as defined by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in pre-diabetic subjects. Secondary objectives are to find relationships between diagnosis according to TCM and risk profile according to Western approach (fasting glucose and HbA1c in plasma, age, BMI, waist circumference). Another objective is to find relationships between classification of risk for DM type 2 according to TCM and objective parameters.