A1c – Also know as hbA1c. A test that measures average glucose levels over the past three months. A good indicator of overall control.
ACE inhibitor – An oral medication for people with diabetes to keep blood pressure under control. For people with protein in the urine it helps slow down kidney damage.
Adult-Onset diabetes – Former term for type 11 or noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
Albuminaria – When the urine has above normal amounts of albumin. This can be a sign of nephropathy (kidney disease).
Autoimmune Disease – A disorder in which the immune system mistakenly attacks body tissue that it believes to be foreign. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder.
Blood Glucose – Sugar made by the body from the three elements of food, proteins, carbohydrates and fat. Glucose is a major source of energy for cells, however, the cells can’t use the glucose in the absence of insulin.
Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) – A kidney waste product. Increase BUN levels may indicate kidney damage.
Borderline diabetes – See impaired glucose tolerance
Brittle Diabetes – Essentially unstable glucose. The term refers to a situation where glucose can swing wildly from high to low and back.
C-Peptide – Released by the pancreas into the bloodstream in equal amounts to insulin. C-peptide testing can show how much insulin the bod is producing.
Complications of diabetes - Other medical issues that can become a problem in poorly controlled diabetes. Includes, but is not limited to retinopathy, angiopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy.
Control - Control of diabetes is achieved through monitoring and compliance with treatment.
Creatinine - A chemical in the blood. Testing of creatinine can indicate how well the kidneys are functioning.
Diabetes Mellitus – Also known as type 2 diabetes. A disease that occurs when the body isn’t able to use sugar properly.
Diabetic Coma – A situation where a person loses consciousness due to glucose levels being too high or too low.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis – Severe out of control high blood sugar. If the person is not given fluids and insulin right away, ketoacidosis can lead to coma or death.
Diabetic Retinopathy – A disease of the small blood vessels of the retina of the eye. Most cases are background retinopathy where vision is just blurred. About 20 percent of cases reach a severe stage where eyesight is dramatically impaired.
Endocrine Glands – Glands that release hormones into the bloodstream, one of which is in the pancreas. This gland releases insulin so the body can use sugar.
Fasting Blood Glucose test – A fasting period of 6-8 hours levels out the blood glucose. If glucose is still high on a fasting test there is a high likelihood that the person has diabetes.
Gestational diabetes – A type of diabetes than can occur when a woman is pregnant. The condition resolves itself in about 95% of all cases when the child is born.
Glucose – The body’s main source of energy. A simple sugar found naturally in the blood.
Glycemic response – The effect that different foods have on glucose levels.
Glycosylated Hemoglobin Test. A1C, hbA1c – The test that life insurance underwriters use to determine diabetes control.
Hemoglobin A1c – hbA1c – Blood glucose binds to the hemoglobin through a process called glycosylation. The higher the blood sugar, the more glucose binds to the hemoglobin. The amount of glycosylation can reveal average glucose levels for a 3-4 month period.
Hyperglycemia – Too much glucose in the blood.
Hypeglycemia – Too little glucose in the blood.
Impaired Glucose Tolerance – Glucose levels higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes (borderline diabetes)
Insulin – A hormone produced by the pancreas that helps the body use glucose for energy. When the body can’t produce it’s own, type 1 diabetes, insulin from another source has to be introduced (usually injected).
Insulin pump – A device that provides a continuous supply of insulin. Often used where compliance with monitoring and control is an issue.
Insulin shock – A condition that occurs when glucose levels drop quickly.
Juvenile onset diabetes – Former term for insulin-dependent or type 1 diabetes.
Mortality rate – In the case of diabetes, the number of people who die from diabetes or diabetes exacerbated conditions compared to the total number of people who have diabetes.
Neuropathy – A common disease of the nervous system in people who have had diabetes for a while. The most common form is peripheral neuropathy, mainly affecting the feet and legs.
Noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus – Type 2 diabetes. The most common form of diabetes characterized by the inability of the body to produce insulin in adequate amounts or consistently.
Obesity – One of the major causes of type 2 diabetes. Defined as having 20 percent of more body fat above average.
Pancreas – The organ that produces insulin so that the body can use glucose for energy.
Peripheral Neuropathy – Nerve damage that usually causes pain, numbness or a tingling sensation in the feet or legs.
Proteinuria – Often a sign of kidney damage noted by abnormally high amounts of protein in the urine.
Risk Factor – For life insurance underwriters, anything that increases the chance that a person will get a disease, such as the link between obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Trygliceride – A type of blood fat that is normally purged from the body by insulin.
Type 1 diabetes – Diabetes characterized by the absence of naturally produced insulin.
Type 2 diabetes – Diabetes characterized by the body’s inability to produce enough insulin or to produce it consistently.