|
|
|
|
 |
Please click on the first letter of the word
you are looking for.
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
Dawn phenomenon: The early-morning (4 a.m.
to 8 a.m.) rise in blood glucose level.
DCCT: See Diabetes Control and Complications
Trial.
Dehydration: The loss of too much body fluid
through frequent urinating, sweating, diarrhea,
or vomiting.
Dermopathy: Disease of the skin.
Dextrose, also called glucose: Simple sugar
found in blood that serves as the body's main source
of energy.
Diabetes: The short name for the disease called
diabetes mellitus. Diabetes results when the body
cannot use blood glucose as energy because of having
too little insulin or being unable to use insulin.
See also type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational
diabetes.
Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT):
A study by the National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases, conducted from 1983
to 1993 in people with type 1 diabetes. The study
showed that intensive therapy compared to conventional
therapy significantly helped prevent or delay diabetes
complications. Intensive therapy included multiple
daily insulin injections or the use of an insulin
pump with multiple blood glucose readings each day.
Complications followed in the study included diabetic
retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy.
Diabetes educator: A health care professional
who teaches people who have diabetes how to manage
their diabetes. Some diabetes educators are certified
diabetes educators (CDEs). Diabetes educators are
found in hospitals, physician offices, managed care
organizations, home health care, and other settings.
Diabetes insipidus: A condition characterized
by frequent and heavy urination, excessive thirst,
and an overall feeling of weakness. This condition
may be caused by a defect in the pituitary gland
or in the kidney. In diabetes insipidus, blood glucose
levels are normal.
Diabetes mellitus: A condition characterized
by hyperglycemia resulting from the body's inability
to use blood glucose for energy. In type 1 diabetes,
the pancreas no longer makes insulin and therefore
blood glucose cannot enter the cells to be used
for energy. In type 2 diabetes, either the pancreas
does not make enough insulin or the body is unable
to use insulin correctly.
Diabetes pills: Pills or capsules that are
taken by mouth to help lower the blood glucose level.
These pills may work for people whose bodies are
still making insulin.
Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP): A study
by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases conducted from 1998 to 2001
in people at high risk for type 2 diabetes. All
study participants had impaired glucose tolerance,
also called pre-diabetes, and were overweight. The
study showed that people who lost 5 to 7 percent
of their body weight through a low-fat, low-calorie
diet and moderate exercise (usually walking for
30 minutes 5 days a week) reduced their risk of
getting type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. Participants
who received treatment with the oral diabetes drug
metformin reduced their risk of getting type 2 diabetes
by 31 percent.
Diabetic diarrhea: Loose stools, fecal incontinence,
or both that result from an overgrowth of bacteria
in the small intestine and diabetic neuropathy in
the intestines. This nerve damage can also result
in constipation.
Diabetic eye disease / diabetic retinopathy:
A disease of the small blood vessels of the retina
of the eye in people with diabetes. In this disease,
the vessels swell and leak liquid into the retina,
blurring the vision and sometimes leading to blindness.
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA): An emergency
condition in which extremely high blood glucose
levels, along with a severe lack of insulin, result
in the breakdown of body fat for energy and an accumulation
of ketones in the blood and urine. Signs of DKA
are nausea and vomiting, stomach pain, fruity breath
odor, and rapid breathing. Untreated DKA can lead
to coma and death.
Diabetic kidney disease: Damage to the cells
or blood vessels of the kidney.
Diabetic nerve damage: Damage to the nerves
of a person with diabetes. Nerve damage may affect
the feet and hands, as well as major organs.
Diabetic myelopathy: Damage to the spinal
cord found in some people with diabetes.
Diabetic retinopathy / eye disease: A disease
of the small blood vessels of the retina of the
eye in people with diabetes. In this disease, the
vessels swell and leak liquid into the retina, blurring
the vision and sometimes leading to blindness.Diabetogenic:
Causing diabetes. For example, some drugs cause
blood glucose levels to rise, resulting in diabetes.
Diabetologist: A doctor who specializes in
treating people who have diabetes.
Dialysis: The process of cleaning wastes
from the blood artificially. This job is normally
done by the kidneys. If the kidneys fail, the blood
must be cleaned artificially with special equipment.
The two major forms of dialysis are hemodialysis
and peritoneal dialysis.
Hemodialysis: The use of a machine to clean
wastes from the blood after the kidneys have failed.
The blood travels through tubes to a dialyzer, a
machine that removes wastes and extra fluid. The
cleaned blood then goes back into the body.
Peritoneal dialysis: Cleaning the blood by
using the lining of the abdomen as a filter. A cleansing
solution called dialysate is infused from a bag
into the abdomen. Fluids and wastes flow through
the lining of the belly and remain "trapped"
in the dialysate. The dialysate is then drained
from the belly, removing the extra fluids and wastes
from the body.
Dietitian: A health care professional who
advises people about meal planning, weight control,
and diabetes management. A registered dietitian
(RD) has more training.
Dilated eye exam: A test done by an eye care
specialist in which the pupil (the black center)
of the eye is temporarily enlarged with eyedrops
to allow the specialist to see the inside of the
eye more easily.
Diphtheria: An acute, contagious disease
that causes fever and problems for the heart and
nervous system.
DKA: See diabetic ketoacidosis.
Dupuytren's contracture: A condition associated
with diabetes in which the fingers and the palm
of the hand thicken and shorten, causing the fingers
to curve inward.
|
|
|
|
|
