LONG-TERM COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES MELLITUS .1. RETINOPATHY, NEPHROPATHY, NEUROPATHY

摘要

The late complications of diabetes mellitus are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the human diabetic population. Yet, diabetic retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy are uncommon in dogs and cats with diabetes. The main explanation for this is the time elapsed before clinical manifestations of these syndromes are recognized, which usually occurs many years after the onset of the diabetic state. In fact, the main risk factor shared by these three complications in the human population is the duration of diabetes.(58) Small animals, especially the dog, have a relatively short life span (2-5 years) after the diagnosis of diabetes(25); this can be attributed to the shorter life span of domestic animals in general when compared with humans and the limitations present in veterinary medicine with respect to control of the hyperglycemic state. These factors put small animals at a lesser risk for developing late complications of diabetes.