diabetes insipidus

diabetes insipidus A metabolic disorder that mimics symptoms of diabetes mellitus, including increased output of urine and increased thirst. It is caused by a malfunction in the pituitary gland, and can be treated by administering vasopressin, a pituitary hormone. There are two types of diabetes insipidus, central and nephrogenic. Central diabetes insipidus is a lack…

diabetes diet

diabetes diet Dietary control that is the primary method for treating all forms of diabetes. The goal is to minimize the chance of overloading the body with the sugar glucose. Patients with diabetes benefit from eating carefully controlled amounts and types of food at regular intervals throughout the day, rather than at two or three…

diabetes, type 2

diabetes, type 2 A form of diabetes mellitus in which patients can still produce insulin, but do so relatively inadequately. Type 2 diabetes mellitus occurs mostly in individuals over 30 years old and the incidence increases with age. While there is a strong genetic component to developing this form of diabetes, there are other risk…

diabetes, type 1

diabetes, type 1 A chronic condition in which the pancreas makes too little insulin (or no insulin) because the beta cells in the pancreas have been destroyed by the immune system. The body is then not able to effectively use blood glucose (sugar) for energy. The disease tends to occur in childhood, adolescence, or early…

diabetes, gestational

diabetes, gestational A diabetic condition that appears during pregnancy and usually goes away after the birth of the baby. Gestational diabetes is best controlled by dietary adjustment. Gestational diabetes can cause birth complications. One complication is macrosomia, in which the baby is considerably larger than normal due to large deposits of fat; such a baby…