Radboud University Medical Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, PO Box 9101, 6500HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Aug, 2014
The prevalence of diabetes is 382 million worldwide, and is expected to rise to 592 million in 2035 (http://www.idf.org/diabetesatlas); 2.5-15\% of national annual healthcare budgets are related to diabetes care, potentially increasing to 40\% in high-prevalence countries. Beta cell dysfunction and death are central events in diabetes pathogenesis, but the natural history of beta cell loss remains unknown. Clinical imaging of beta cells will play a pivotal role in developing strategies for optimized diabetes prevention and treatment.