The diabetic pregnancy - Pregnancy associated with diabetes mellitus. The term “diabetic pregnancy” may refer to a pregnancy in a woman with pre-existing diabetes, or to diabetes that develops during pregnancy; in the latter case, the condition is known as gestational diabetes.Women with established diabetes can have a normal pregnancy provided that the diabetes is well controlled. Careful control of blood glucose levels must begin well before conception. Poor control may affect the baby’s growth, and increase the risk of fetal...
10/27/15
diabetic neuropathy
The diabetic neuropathy - Any of various types of neuropathy (disease of or damage to the nerves) that result from longstanding or poorly controlled diabetes mellitus.The most common type of diabetic neuropathy is called peripheral sensory neuropathy. In the early stages of this disorder, intermittent pain and tingling are felt in the extremities, particularly in the feet. The pain gradually worsens until, finally, pain sensation is lost to an area. People with sensory neuropathy in the feet can develop cuts, scrapes, or blisters...
diabetic nephropathy
The diabetic nephropathy - Kidney damage resulting from longstanding or poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. The disorder includes damage to capillaries (tiny blood vessels) in the kidneys and hardening of the tissues. As a result, the kidneys become less able to filter the blood efficiently. Protein may escape into the urine, depleting the body’s supplies (see nephrotic syndrome).In severe cases, chronic kidney failure may develop. Many affected people have hypertension (high blood pressure), which may also cause damage to...
diabetic ketoacidosis
The diabetic ketoacidosis - A severe, acute complication of Type 1 diabetes mellitus, a condition in which the pancreas produces too little insulin. If levels of insulin are too low, the liver generates more glucose, but the tissues are unable to take up the glucose properly and have to break down fats to obtain energy, causing the production of acidic chemicals called ketone bodies.Diabetic ketoacidosis may be the first sign that a person has insulindependent diabetes, or it may develop in a person known to have the condition...
diabetic diet
The diabetic diet - A nutritional regime designed to prevent complications of diabetes mellitus by controlling the timing and amount of energy intake, thereby minimizing the occurrence of hyperglycaemia (high blood glucose levels) or hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose levels).People with diabetes should follow the same kind of healthy diet that is recommended for people in general (see nutrition). The diet should be rich in complex carbohydrates (such as bread and pasta) and contain less than 30 per cent fat. In addition, the...
diabetic coma
The diabetic coma - A life-threatening state of unconsciousness and unresponsiveness, due either to diabetic ketoacidosis or to hypoglycaemia. The latter condition may be induced either by excessive doses of oral hypoglycaemic drugs or by an inadequate intake of foo...
diabetic cataract
The diabetic cataract - An opacity in the lens of the eye (see cataract) due to diabetes mellitus. The slow-growing opacities that often appear in old age (senile cataracts) tend to develop 10–15 years earlier than usual in people who have diabetes.Occasionally, young people with poorly controlled diabetes develop juvenile cataracts, which are diffuse opacities that develop rapidly. Treatment for diabetic cataract is the same as for other forms of catarac...
diabetic arthropathy
The diabetic arthropathy - Joint damage associated with diabetes mellitus. It results from the loss of protective pain sensation that can occur when peripheral nerves are damaged (see diabetic neuropathy). The condition often affects the joints in the legs; the ankle is particularly vulnerable.Affected joints (called neuropathic joints or Charcot’s joints) tend to be swollen and deformed but painless. Treatment includes fitting a special cast to reduce swelling in the limb, and the use of supportive footwea...
diabetes mellitus
The diabetes mellitus - A disorder that develops when the cells of the body do not receive enough insulin. This hormone is produced by the pancreas; it normally enables body cells to take in glucose from the blood to generate energy, and enables the liver and fat cells to take in glucose for storage. A lack of insulin in the cells may occur because the pancreas produces too little, or none at all; alternatively, it may occur because the tissues are resistant to the hormone’s effects.TYPES, CAUSES, AND INCIDENCE:There are two...
Living with diabetes mellitus
The Living with diabetes mellitus - As the level of glucose in the blood rises, the volume of urine required to carry it out of the body is increased, causing not only a frequent need to urinate but also constant thirst. The high levels of sugar in the blood and urine impair the body’s ability to fight infection, leading to urinary tract...
diabetes insipidus
The diabetes insipidus - A rare condition that is characterized by excessive thirst and the passing of large quantities of dilute urine.
A person with diabetes insipidus may pass between five and 20 litres of urine every 24 hours, provided that this output is matched by a sufficient intake of water. If the lost water is not replaced, dehydration may occur, leading to confusion, stupor, and coma.
Diabetes insipidus usually results from a failure of the pituitary gland to secrete ADH (antidiuretic hormone), which normally...
diabetes, bronze
The diabetes, bronze - Another name for haemochromatosis, a rare genetic disease in which excessive amounts of iron are deposited in tissues.Bronze diabetes causes a bronze skin coloration, and sufferers often develop diabetes mellitu...
dextropropoxyphene
The dextropropoxyphene - A weak opioid analgesic drug that is included in some compound analgesic preparations. The drug works rapidly and relieves mild to moderate pain for about four hours. Adverse effects of this drug may include drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, and vomitin...
dextromoramide
The dextromoramide - An opioid analgesic drug related to opium that is used to relieve severe pain following injury or surgery and during long-term illnesses.
It relieves pain quickly but has only a short duration of action. Regular use of dextromoramide can produce drug dependenc...
dextrocardia
Abnormal position Normal position
Heart positions In dextrocardia, the heart is situated in, and points towards, the right-hand side of the chest instead of the left-hand side.
The dextrocardia - A rare condition, which is present...
dextran
The dextran - A polysaccharide (a type of carbohydrate) consisting of branched chains of glucose units. Dextrans that are formed by the action of bacteria on sucrose in the mouth produce plaque (a rough, sticky coating on the teeth), which is a major cause of tooth decay (see caries, dental).Commercially manufactured preparations of synthetic dextran solution may be used in surgery or in emergency treatment for shock, to increase the volume of the plasma (the fluid part of the blood) in the circulation. Dextrans used for this...
dexamfetamine
The dexamfetamine - A central nervous system stimulant (see amphetamine drugs; stimulant drugs) sometimes used to treat narcolepsy (a sleep disorder). It is also used in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who have not responded to treatment with methylphenidate.Because of its stimulant properties, dexamfetamine has become a drug of abuse. Excessive use leads to anxiety and drug psychosis. With prolonged use, physical tolerance develops: the drug’s stimulant effects lessen and a higher dose must then be taken...
dexamethasone
The dexamethasone - A corticosteroid drug prescribed as a nasal spray to relieve nasal congestion caused by allergic rhinitis (hay fever), as eye drops in the treatment of iritis (inflammation of the iris), and as eardrops in the treatment of otitis externa (outer-ear infection).Dexamethasone is given in tablet form or by injection to treat severe asthma and other inflammatory disorders, and to reduce inflammation of the brain due to head injury, stroke, or a brain tumour. It may also be injected into an inflamed joint to relieve...
Devic’s disease
The Devic’s disease - A rare condition, sometimes called neuromyelitis optica, in which there is demyelination of the fibres in the optic nerves and the spinal cord. The condition begins with inflammation of the optic nerves (see optic neuritis), leading to loss of vision. There are also attacks of numbness, muscle weakness, and loss of coordination in the parts of the trunk and limbs below the diseased area of the spine. In addition, the spinal cord damage may lead to disruption of urinary and bowel control and impairment...
deviation, sexual
The deviation, sexual - An abnormal form of sexual behaviour, most common in men, in which sexual intercourse between adults is not the final aim. Forms of sexual deviation include exhibitionism, fetishism, paedophilia, and transvestis...
developmental hip dysplasia
The developmental hip dysplasia - A disorder present at birth in which the head of the femur (thigh-bone) fails to fit properly into the cup-like socket in the pelvis to form a normal joint. One or both of the hips may be affected.CAUSE AND INCIDENCE:The cause of developmental hip dysplasia is not known.The condition is more common in girls, especially in babies born by breech delivery or following pregnancies in which there was an abnormally small amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus.TREATMENT:If the dislocation...
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