Plasma Glucose Concentration and Prediction of Future Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes has increased in recent decades to epidemic proportions. About 150 million individuals worldwide had type 2 diabetes in 2000, and this number is expected to increase to �300 million by the year 2025 (1). Because of the chronic course of type 2 diabetes and the significant morbidity and mortality associated with the vascular complications of the disease, type 2 diabetes has become not only a serious public health threat, but also a heavy economic burden on the health care system. The total annual cost of diabetes care in the U.S. was estimated to be $175 billion in the