Diabetes Mellitus: Pancreatic Diseases and Complications

diabetes mellitus (DM)

Disease where your pancreas doesn't make insulin or makes very little insulin. Insulin helps blood sugar enter the cells in your body for use as energy. Without insulin, blood sugar can't get into cells and builds up in the bloodstream. High blood sugar is damaging to the body and causes many of the symptoms and complications of diabetes.

glycosuria

Excess of sugar in the urine.

hyperglycemia

Excess of sugar in the blood.

hypoglycemia

Abnormal decrease of sugar in the blood.

ketoacidosis

Resulting from increased levels of ketone bodies in the blood. Ketoacidosis occurs most commonly as a complication of diabetes but may occur from other causes (such as starvation).

polyphagia

Excessive appetite or eating.

nephropathy

Kidney disease (a complication of diabetes).

neuropathy

Damage, disease, or dysfunction of one or more nerves (a complication of diabetes).

retinopathy

Disorders of the retina including some that cause blindness (a complication of diabetes).