This page lists and explains terms connected with diabetes.Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z AAcanthosis nigricans - A brown to black, poorly defined, velvety hyperpigmentation of the skin, usually present in the posterior and lateral folds of the neck, the axilla, groin, umbilicus, and other areas. This occurs due to insulin spillover (from excessive production due to obesity or insulin resistance) into the skin which results in abnormal growth being observed. The most common cause would be insulin resistance, usually from type 2 diabetes mellitus.ACE inhibitor - A class of drugs used to decrease hypertension, mainly by interfering with renein cycleto insulin.Adult-onset*Acetohexamide - A pill taken to lower the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. People with Type 2 diabetes may take these pills. See also: Oral hypoglycemic agents. One of the sulfonylurea drugs. (Dymelor™ Dimelor™)Acetone - A byproduct of fat metabolism. One of three ketone body substances. Builds to high levels during periods of stress, infection, etc possibly leading to Diabetic ketoacidosis, a very serious condition. It can sometimes be smelled on the breath of those in, or about to enter, DKA as a fruity (nail polish remover, or lacquer thinner) sort of smell. It is chemically a ketone.Acidosis - An acidic condition in body fluids, chiefly blood. If prolonged, or severe, it can cause coma and death regardless of cause. For a person with diabetes, this can be caused by insufficient glucose absorption (eg, from inadequate insulin) combined with metabolic ketosis. It can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis. A medical emergency. See also: Diabetic ketoacidosis.Acute - Happens for a limited period of time; abrupt onset; sharp, severe.Adrenal gland -- endocrine gland located on top of the human kidney. Secretes adrenaline, one of the primary 'fight or flight' stress hormones, which have substantial counterregulatory effects diabetes - One of the former terms for Type 2 diabetes. See: Type 2 diabetes mellitus.Adverse effect - A harmful resultAlbuminuria - release of the protein albumin in urine. As this protein is strongly conserved, this is evidence of abnormal kidney function.Aldose reductase inhibitorAlpha cell - a type of cell in the pancreas (in areas called the islets of Langerhans). Alpha cells make and release a hormone called glucagon, which raises the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. The name for these cells is different in the UK.Amino acid - a weak acid carbon compound containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. The nitrogenous amine group is characteristic. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and there are about 20 used in the human body, of which about half can be constructed internally. The rest must come in the diet -- they are the essential amino acids.Amyotrophy - A type of diabetic neuropathy that causes muscle weakness and wasting.Angiopathy - A process that damages the blood vessels.Anomalies - Birth defects; abnormalities.Antibodies - Chemicals produced by the immune system which are very carefully tuned to attach only to particular substances in foreign bodies (eg, viruses, bacteria, foreign tissue, ...) Upon attachment, other parts of the immune system attack and destroy to tagged entity. It is an inappropriate antibody reaction to normal proteins found on beta cells that are thought to be the main mechanism of beta cell destruction in Type 1 diabetes.Antidiabetic agent - A kind of medication that helps a person with diabetes control the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood so that the body works as it should. See also: Insulin; oral hypoglycemic agents.Antigen - The substance in a foreign body which evokes antibody production specific to it.Antiseptic - A product that reduces the presence of infective agentsArteriosclerosis - Hardening of the blood vessels. The same meaning as atherosclerosis.Artery - Blood vessel with muscular walls on the 'supply side' of the blood circulation, between the left ventricle and capillary beds throughout the body.Artificial pancreas - A large machine used in hospitals that constantly measures glucose (sugar) in the blood and, in response, releases the right amount of insulin. Scientists are also working to develop a small unit that could be implanted in the body, functioning like a real pancreas.Aspartame - An artificial sweetener that can replace sugar. It is composed of two amino acids and is therefore a kind of miniature protein. It is sweet because, in a way not entirely clear even now, it interacts with the taste buds to cause a sweet taste.Asymptomatic - No symptoms; no clear sign of disease present. Most Type II diabetics are without clinically obvious symptoms for some time (up to decades) before they are diagnosed as diabetic.Atherosclerosis - See: Arteriosclerosis.Autoimmune disease - A condition in which the immune system inappropriately attacks a body tissue. Multiple sclerosis, some kinds of rheumatism, lupus, and Type 1 diabetes are examples. The reasons for the immune system misbehavior are not, in general, understood.Autonomic neuropathy - Damage to nerves that do not control senses or muscles. These nerves control 'automatic' processes, like heart rate and body temperature. They can be damaged by diabetes, just like 'regular' somatic nerves, but the results are 'system-wide', not just pain or muscle weakness. BBackground retinopathy - Also known as non-proliferative retinopathyBasal rate - Refers to a continuous supply of something. In the case of diabetes, it refers to low levels of insulin needed for such purposes as controlling cellular amino acid uptake, potassium uptake, etc.Beta cell - One class of cells found in the islets of Langehans in the pancreas. They are the source of insulin, and contain mechanisms which watch blood glucose levels and secrete (or not) insulin in response.Beta cell transplantation - See: Islet cell transplantation.Biosynthetic human insulin - A man-made insulin that is chemically identical to like human insulin. See also: Human insulin.Biphasic insulin - A type of insulin that is a mixture of intermediate- and fast-acting insulin. See 70/30.Blood glucose - Glucose is a simple sugar and the primary fuel for body cells. It is absorbed from food, absorbed into the cells (for most cells this is under control of insulin), stored in the liver as glycogen, made in starvation from the glycerin backbone of triglycerides, and from a few amino acids. Anomalies of glucose metabolism are the cause of diabetes mellitus.Blood glucose meter - A machine which electrochemically or coloristically, determines the current level of glucose in a blood sample. Modern machines can be quite small and inexpensive. The expense of testing is primarily in the unique strips used with each testing machine.Blood glucose monitoring -- tracking one's blood glucose level, usually by using a blood glucose meterBlood pressure - The pressure in arteries caused by blood pumping within the body. It has two values. The higher is taken immediately after the left ventricle contracts. The lower is taken just before that contraction.Blood-sampling deviceBlood sugar - Another name for blood glucose.Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) - A measurement of a metabolic waste product in the blood. Urea is one end product of protein metabolism. Increased levels of BUN in the blood may indicate early kidney damage as the kidney fails to excrete it in the urine.Blood vessels - Tubes which carry blood around the body. They come in three types, arteries, veins, and capillaries. Capillaries are always tiny, the others vary from large to quite small.Bolus - An amount of something given in one 'lump'. A meal is a food bolus, continuous snacking for an afternoon is not. In diabetes, it generally refers to an extra amount of insulin given in a single one dose to cover an expected rise in blood glucose (sugar) such as the rise that occurs after eating.Borderline diabetes - A term no longer used. See: Impaired glucose tolerance.Brittle diabetes - A term used when a person's blood glucose (sugar) level often swings quickly from high to low and from low to high. Also called labile and unstable diabetes.Bronze diabetes - See: Hemochromatosis.Bunion - A bump or bulge on the first joint of the big toe caused by the swelling of a sac of fluid under the skin. CCertified diabetes educator (C.D.E.) - A health care professional who is qualified by the American Association of Diabetes Educators to teach people with diabetes how to manage their condition. The health care team for diabetes should ideally include a diabetes educator, preferably a C.D.E.C-peptide - A substance that the pancreas releases into the bloodstream in equal amounts to insulin. A test of C-peptide levels will show how much insulin the body is making. Insulin is prepared as two insulin molecules linked by a c-peptide. When insulin is secreted, C-peptide is released as well.Calcium channel blockerCallus - A small area of skin, usually on the foot, that has become thick and hard from rubbing or pressure. Calluses may lead to other problems such as serious infection. Shoes that fit well can keep calluses from forming. See also: Foot care.Calorie -- In diabetes, a measure of the chemical energy in a fixed amount of food. The food Calorie is 1000x the calorie used in heat physics. Not all calories in food are usable. For instance, sawdust is largely cellulose (ie, glucoses stuck together in long chains), and can be burned in a calorimeter, but the body contains no mechanism to use it as fuel. Calories relevant to diabetes come only from those substances in food which are actually used by the body. Thus, protein is not normally used for fuel, and so should not be counted as a food calorie in normal situations. In a calorimeter it is worth 4 calories/gram, while fat/oils are worth 9 calories/gram, and carbohydrate is worth 4 calories/gram. A gram is about 1/5 of an ounce for those more familiar with English measures.Capillary -- a very small blood vessel. At one end of a capillary is a connection to the body's arteries and at the other end of a capillary is a connection to the body's veins. It is in the capillaries that most gas exchange (oxygen out of the blood into the tissues, and carbon dioxide into the blood). The reverse exchange happens in the capillaries of the lungs. Capillaries are controlled by very small muscles which affect blood pressure very substantially. Those muscles are in turn controlled by, among other things, the presence or absence of insulin in the blood.CapsaicinCarbohydrateCardiologistCardiovascularCarpal tunnel syndrome -- irritation and swelling of one of more of the nerves in the carpal tunnel in the wrist. Effects range from considerable pain to loss of function. The cause is thought to be mechanical, as in repetitive motion of the wrist joint as in typing while in inappropriate wrist positions.Cataract -- clouding of the transparent protein in the lens of the eye.Cerebrovascular disease - Damage to the blood vessels in the brain, resulting in a stroke. People with diabetes are at higher risk of cerebrovascular disease.Charcot foot - A foot complication associated with diabetic