Circulating Nucleic Acids and Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes, which is a major health problem throughout the world is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Early detection of those at risk and early detection of complications will help to reduce the adverse consequences. Current methods used for early detection of DM and its complications either have limitations or are expensive. Circulating miRNA and mRNA offer an exciting new approach to the diagnosis of diabetes and its complications. Several recent studies have reported that this approach is feasible. For example, mRNA for retinal specific proteins was reported to give good discrimination between different grades of diabetic retinopathy. In this chapter the use of miRNA and mRNA in diabetes and its complications is discussed.