[dahy-uh-bee-tis, -teez] 
| 1. | any of several disorders characterized by increased urine production. |
| 2. | Also called diabe⋅tes mel⋅li⋅tus [mel-i-tuh s, muh-lahy-] . a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism, usually occurring in genetically predisposed individuals, characterized by inadequate production or utilization of insulin and resulting in excessive amounts of glucose in the blood and urine, excessive thirst, weight loss, and in some cases progressive destruction of small blood vessels leading to such complications as infections and gangrene of the limbs or blindness. |
| 3. | Also called Type I diabetes, insulin-dependent diabetes, juvenile diabetes. a severe form of diabetes mellitus in which insulin production by the beta cells of the pancreas is impaired, usually resulting in dependence on externally administered insulin, the onset of the disease typically occurring before the age of 25. |
| 4. | Also called Type II diabetes, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, adult-onset diabetes, maturity-onset diabetes. a mild, sometimes asymptomatic form of diabetes mellitus characterized by diminished tissue sensitivity to insulin and sometimes by impaired beta cell function, exacerbated by obesity and often treatable by diet and exercise. |
| 5. | Also called diabe⋅tes in⋅sip⋅i⋅dus [in-sip-i-duhs] . increased urine production caused by inadequate secretion of vasopressin by the pituary gland. |
| a·dult-on·set diabetes (ə-dŭlt'ŏn'sět, -ôn'-) n. Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. |
adult-onset diabetes n.
Non-insulin-dependent diabetes.
diabetes di·a·be·tes (dī'ə-bē'tĭs, -tēz)
n.
Any of several metabolic disorders marked by excessive discharge of urine and persistent thirst, especially one of the two types of diabetes mellitus.
adult-onset diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is a public health threat that rivals HIV/AIDS in its reach and deadly toll. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), an alliance of diabetes associations in more than 160 countries, has described diabetes mellitus as a "global epidemic with devastating humanitarian, social, and economic consequences." The most prevalent form of the disease-accounting for 90% to 95% of diabetes cases-is type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), formerly known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes. At least 7 million people develop T2DM each year, and 3.8 million people die from complications of the disease. "Yet awareness of the global scale of the diabetes threat," the IDF contends, "remains pitifully low."
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