Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

diabetes, childhood
Type 1 diabetes. See also
diabetes, type 1.
diabetes, gestational
A diabetic condition that
appears during pregnancy and usually goes away
after the birth of the baby. Gestational diabetes is best
controlled by dietary adjustment. Gestational diabetes
can cause birth complications. One complication is
macrosomia, in which the baby is considerably larger
than normal due to large deposits of fat; such a baby
can grow too large to be delivered through the
vagina. Gestational diabetes also increases the risk of
low blood sugar, low serum calcium and low serum
magnesium in the baby immediately after delivery.
The key to prevention is careful control of the
mother’s blood sugar levels. If the mother maintains
normal blood sugar levels, it is less likely that the
fetus will develop macrosomia, hypoglycemia, or
other chemical abnormalities.
diabetes, insulin-dependent
Type 1 diabetes.
See also 
diabetes, type 1.
diabetes, insulin-resistant
Type 2 diabetes.
See also 
diabetes, type 2.
diabetes, labile
Type 1 diabetes that is
untreated, poorly controlled, or resistant to treat-
ment so that the blood glucose level tends to swing
quickly and widely up and down. Also known as
brittle diabetes and unstable diabetes. See also 
dia-
betes, type 1.
diabetes, non-insulin-dependent
Type 2 dia-
betes. See also 
diabetes, type 2.
diabetes, type 1
A chronic condition in which
the pancreas makes too little insulin (or no insulin)
because the beta cells in the pancreas have been
destroyed by the immune system. The body is then
not able to effectively use blood glucose (sugar) for
energy. The disease tends to occur in childhood,
adolescence, or early adulthood, but it may appear
at any age. The symptoms and signs of type 1 dia-
betes are great thirst, hunger, a need to urinate often,
and loss of weight. Fluctuations in blood glucose lev-
els can lead to blurred vision. Extremely elevated
glucose levels can lead to lethargy and coma. To treat
the disease, the person must inject insulin, follow an
appropriate diet, exercise daily, and test blood glu-
cose several times daily. This type of diabetes used to
be known as juvenile diabetes, juvenile-onset dia-
betes, and insulin-dependent diabetes. See also 
dia-
betes, type 2; diabetic neuropathy; diabetic
retinopathy; diabetic coma; diabetic shock.