Diabetes, unstable
Diabetes, unstable: A term used when a diabetic person’s blood glucose (sugar) level often swings quickly and widely from high to low and from low to high. Also called brittle and labile diabetes.
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- Diabetic coma
Diabetic coma: Deep unconsciousness that results from uncontrolled diabetes associated with ketones in the bloodstream. The best treatment is prevention. Careful diet, medication, and insulin dosing, as needed, should prevent ketone buildup. Patients with diabetes and their family members should be aware of the early signs of ketone buildup, including weight loss, nausea, confusion, gasping […]
- Diabetic dermopathy
Diabetic dermopathy: A skin condition characteristic of diabetes featuring light brown, reddish oval, or round scaly patches, most often on the shins or front of the thighs and less often on the scalp, forearm, and trunk. The cause of diabetic dermopathy is thought to be a type of inflammation affecting tiny blood vessels in the […]
- Diabetic eye disease
Diabetic eye disease: 1. A disease of the small blood vessels of the retina of the eye in people with diabetes. The vessels swell and leak liquid into the retina, blurring the vision and sometimes leading to blindness. Also called diabetic retinopathy. 2. Any eye disease to which diabetes predisposes including not only diabetic retinopathy […]
- Diabetic ketoacidosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis: High blood glucose with the presence of ketones in the urine and bloodstream, often caused by taking too little insulin or during illness. See: Ketoacidosis.
- Diabetic macular edema
Diabetic macular edema: Swelling of the retina in diabetes mellitus due to leaking of fluid from blood vessels within the macula. The macula is the central portion of the retina, a small area rich in cones, the specialized nerve endings that detect color and upon which daytime vision depends. As macular edema develops, blurring occurs […]