Effects of Diabetes Glossary

• Acetone – chemical compound normally found in nail polish remover.
• Adhesive capsulitis – a.k.a., frozen shoulder; shoulder becomes exceedingly stiff due to lack of use after an injury.
• Adipokines – group of proteins secreted by adipose tissue (a.k.a., fat).
• Angina – painful constriction or tightness.
• Autoimmune attack – due to an overactive immune response to substances normally found in the human body (i.e., the body attacks itself).
• Beta cells – type of cell in the pancreas that makes up 65-80 percent.
• Carbohydrate – most common source of energy in the body, which require less water to digest than proteins or fat. Examples of carbohydrates include breads, pastas, beans, potatoes, bran, rice and cereals.
• Celiac disease – autoimmune disorder of small bowels that causes diarrhea, fatigue and failure to thrive (poor weight gain and physical growth).
• Chiropodists – a foot care specialist.
• Coronary artery failure – condition that occurs when arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle become hardened and narrowed. May cause angina or heart attack.
• Cystic fibrosis -- hereditary disease that affects the entire body, namely in the lungs, pancreas, liver, poor growth and infertility.
• Dialysis – artificial replacement of a kidney, used only as a life sustaining mechanism, not a cure.
• Dermopathy – disease of the skin; also called dermatophathy.
• Dysregulation – impairment of metabolism, immune system, organ function or impairment or any physiological regulatory mechanism.
• Endocrine – hormone-secreting.
• Gastro esophageal reflux – abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus.
• Gastroparesis – disorder when the stomach empties too slowing characterized by heartburn, nausea, among other symptoms.
• Glucose – sugar found in the human body, along with other animals and fruits.
• Sir Harold Percival Himsworth – British scientist best known for his research on diabetes.
• Hemochromatosis – single-gene disease causing iron to accumulate in body tissue.
• Hyperglycemia – abnormally high blood sugar.
• Hypoglycemia – abnormally low blood sugar.
• Hypotension – abnormally low blood pressure.
• Insulin – naturally-produced hormone that regulates carbohydrate metabolism and the storing/releasing of glucose.
• Islets of Langerhans – groups of beta cells within the pancreas.
• Ketoacidosis – abnormal increase in acidity of body’s fluid with accumulation of ketone bodies.
• Kussmaul breathing – extremely deep, labored breath; a form of hypervention.
• Lancet – small, quick-action needle found on blood-sampling machines.
• Macrosomia – large birth weight.
• Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum – accidental death of cells and tissue.
• Non-subcutaneous fat – any other fat but that found just under the skin.
• Pancreatitis – inflammation of the pancreas.
• Polyuria – excessive urine passage.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome – endocrine disorder affecting some four to seven percent of women; leading cause of infertility.
• Renal failure – condition in which the kidney’s fail to function properly.
• Sir Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer – English physiologist responsible for the terms insulin and endocrine.
• Vascular disease – any disease involving the blood vessels.
• Xanthomatosis – metabolic disorder characterized by too many lipids, which results in the spread of xanthomas, a yellow-ish cholesterol-rich deposit in the tendons and other areas of the body.