CHAPTER ONE

1.0         Introduction

Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disorder and has been defined as a condition in which the pancreas no longer produces sufficient insulin or cells stop responding to the insulin produced, therefore, the glucose in the blood cannot be taken up by the cells of the body (Goldhaber et al., 2011). Diabetes mellitus is the most common endocrine disorder that presently affects 415 million people of the world population and the majority are aged between 40 and 59 and 80% live in low and middle income countries (IDF,2015). Current figures indicate that people living with diabetes is expected to rise from 382 million in 2013 to 642 million by 2040, if no urgent action is taken (IDF, 2015).

The World Health Organization described diabetes as a chronic disease that causes serious complications such as; cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure, retinal damage (which can lead to blindness), nerve damage (of several kind) and micro vascular damage, which may cause impotence and poor healing of wounds, particularly of the feet, which can lead to gangrene and may require amputation (WHO, 2015).