Diabetes Mellitus Nursing Care and Management

Vocabulary flashcards covering core pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, complications, and nursing management of Diabetes Mellitus.

Diabetes Mellitus

A chronic multisystem disease characterized by hyperglycemia related to abnormal insulin production, impaired insulin use, or both.

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

An autoimmune disorder characterized by the destruction of beta cells in the pancreatic islets of Langerhans, resulting in an absence of endogenous insulin production.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The most prevalent type of diabetes, characterized by the presence of endogenous insulin that is either produced in insufficient quantities or used ineffectively by body tissues.

Polyuria

Frequent or excessive urination caused by the osmotic effect of elevated blood glucose levels in the filtrate.

Polydipsia

Excessive thirst triggered by fluid loss and high osmotic pressure secondary to elevated blood glucose.

Polyphagia

Excessive hunger that develops because glucose cannot enter cells due to insulin deficiency, leading to cellular malnourishment.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis

An acute, life-threatening complication primarily occurring in Type 1 diabetes, characterized by hyperglycemia, ketosis, acidosis, and dehydration secondary to profound insulin deficiency.

Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Syndrome

A life-threatening syndrome occurring mainly in patients with Type 2 diabetes over age 60, marked by severe hyperglycemia, osmotic diuresis, and extracellular fluid depletion without ketoacidosis.

Prediabetes

An intermediate state between normal glucose homeostasis and diabetes mellitus, defined by an impaired glucose tolerance (OGTT of 140 to 199 mg/dL) or impaired fasting glucose (fasting glucose of 100 to 125 mg/dL).

Angiopathy

Damage to blood vessels secondary to chronic hyperglycemia, which is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths.

Macrovascular Complications

Diseases of large and medium-sized blood vessels associated with diabetes, including cerebrovascular disease, cardiovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease.

Microvascular Complications

Thickening of capillary and arteriole membranes resulting from chronic hyperglycemia, primarily affecting the eyes (retinopathy), kidneys (nephropathy), and nerves (neuropathy).

Diabetic Retinopathy

Microvascular damage to the blood vessels in the retina caused by chronic hyperglycemia, leading to abnormal vessel growth, leakage, bleeding, and risk of blindness.

Diabetic Nephropathy

Damage to the small blood vessels supplying the renal glomeruli due to chronic hyperglycemia, characterized by protein leaking into the urine (proteinuria) as an early sign.

Diabetic Neuropathy

Nerve damage resulting from metabolic imbalances associated with diabetes, affecting sensory or autonomic body systems.

Stocking-Glove Neuropathy

A pattern of sensory neuropathy affecting the hands and feet bilaterally, causing pain, paresthesias, loss of sensation, and discomfort that is often worse at night.

Charcot's Foot

Neuropathic arthropathy involving ankle and foot changes that alter weight distribution, increasing the risk for joint destruction and foot ulcers.

Somogyi Effect

A condition where a high dose of insulin produces nighttime hypoglycemia, prompting a counterregulatory hormone release that causes rebound morning hyperglycemia.

Dawn Phenomenon

Hyperglycemia present upon awakening caused by predawn release of counterregulatory hormones, specifically growth hormone and cortisol.

Basal-Bolus Insulin Plan

An insulin administration regimen combining long-acting or intermediate-acting insulin (basal) for background coverage with short-acting or rapid-acting insulin (bolus) before meals or for correction.

Insulin Pump

A continuous delivery device that injects insulin automatically into subcutaneous tissue to maintain blood glucose in a tight target range.

Rule of 15

A clinical protocol for treating conscious hypoglycemia (CBG < 70 mg/dL): administer 15 g of quick-acting carbohydrates, wait 15 minutes, recheck CBG, and repeat until CBG is greater than 70 mg/dL.

Insulin Sliding Scale

A correction regimen that assigns specific units of short-acting or rapid-acting insulin based on measured blood glucose levels.

Diabetes Plate Method

A visual meal-planning technique recommending a meal composition of 1/2 plate vegetables, 1/4 plate starch, and 1/4 plate protein alongside water.

Medical Identification (Diabetes)

A wallet card or Medic Alert item carried by diabetic patients to inform responders of their condition and emergency instructions if incapacitated.