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 can grow too large to be delivered through the vagina. Gestational diabetes also increases the risk of low blood sugar, low serum calcium and low serum magnesium in the baby immediately after delivery. The key to prevention is careful control of the mother’s blood sugar levels. If the mother maintains normal blood sugar levels, it is less likely that the fetus will develop macrosomia, hypoglycemia, or other chemical abnormalities.
Read Also:
- Diabetes, insulin-dependent
Diabetes, insulin-dependent: Also called type 1 diabetes. See Diabetes, type 1.
- Diabetes, insulin-resistant
Diabetes, insulin-resistant: An autoimmune form of diabetes, in which the body develops an immune response to its own insulin hormone. This form of diabetes is probably the most difficult type to treat, but it can be done. Treatment includes very careful diet, medication, and in experimental cases, immunology treatment.
- Diabetes, labile
Diabetes, labile: A type of diabetes when a person’s blood glucose (sugar) level often swings quickly from high to low and from low to high. Also called “unstable diabetes” or “brittle diabetes.”
- Diabetes, type 1
Diabetes, type 1: An autoimmune disease that occurs when T cells attack and destroy most of the beta cells in the pancreas that are needed to produce insulin, so that the pancreas makes too little insulin (or no insulin). Without the capacity to make adequate amounts of insulin, the body is not able to metabolize […]
- Diabetes, non-insulin-dependent
Diabetes, non-insulin-dependent: Type 2 diabetes. See also Diabetes, type 2.