Diabetic microvascular disease normally leads to complications, such as diabetic neuropathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) “the direct and indirect effects on the human vascular tree are the major source of morbidity and mortality in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.” Clinical treatment and prevention techniques are expanding, however.

The chance of developing a complication from diabetic microvascular disease depends on the severity of hyperglycemia and the duration of time a person has had diabetes. The most common complication of diabetic microvascular disease may be retinopathy. It is currently responsible for 10,000 new cases of blindness in the United States each year. Most patients with type 1 diabetes develop some degree of retinopathy within 20 years of diagnosis, and retinopathy may develop as early as 7 years before type 2 diabetes is even diagnosed in some patients.

The leading cause of renal failure in …