Diabetic retinopathy Health Dictionary

See EYE, DISORDERS OF – Retina, disorders of.... retinopathy

Pregnancy in a woman with pre-existing diabetes mellitus or in a woman who develops diabetes during pregnancy. The latter is known as gestational diabetes. Women with established diabetes mellitus can have a normal pregnancy provided that the diabetes is controlled well. Poor control of blood glucose during the pregnancy may affect the baby’s growth or increase the risk of complications during pregnancy.

Gestational diabetes is usually detected in the second half of pregnancy.

The mother does not produce enough insulin to keep blood glucose levels normal.

True gestational diabetes disappears with the delivery of the baby but is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in later life.... diabetic pregnancy

an acute mononeuropathy of the femoral nerve, usually of microvascular origin, associated with chronic poor diabetic control. Symptoms are thigh pain and progressive weakness of knee extension. Examination reveals wasting of the quadriceps muscle group and loss of the knee jerk. It may affect both legs and recovery is usually slow. Treatment is with physiotherapy and improved control of the diabetes; the condition never seems to recur in the same leg. The main *differential diagnosis is of compression of the nerve roots in the spinal canal.... diabetic amyotrophy

the characteristic microscopic changes seen in a diabetic kidney after many years of progressive damage.... diabetic glomerulosclerosis

the combination of features, often found in the hands of long-standing diabetic subjects, consisting of *Dupuytren’s contractures, knuckle pads, *carpal tunnel syndrome, *cheiroarthropathy, and sclerosing *tenosynovitis.... diabetic hand syndrome

a condition in which patients with diabetic sensory polyneuropathy (see diabetic neuropathy) suffer significant trauma to their insensate feet through holiday activities. These may include walking on hot flagstones or sand and wearing ill-fitting shoes. The condition may be prevented with prior education and advice and by maintaining safe footcare practices.... diabetic holiday foot syndrome

a well-recognized period just after the diagnosis of type 1 *diabetes mellitus when only very low insulin doses are required to control the condition. It lasts from months to a few years but inevitably ends, when dose requirements will increase quite quickly.... diabetic honeymoon period

(DKA) a metabolic state resulting from a profound lack of insulin, usually found only in type 1 *diabetes mellitus but sometimes arising in people of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity with type 2 diabetes. Inability to inhibit glucose production from the liver results in *hyperglycaemia, which can be extreme and lead to severe dehydration. The concurrent failure to suppress fatty-acid production from adipose tissue results in the excess conversion of fatty acids to ketones in the liver (*ketosis) and the development of a metabolic *acidosis, which can be severe. Patients often present with vomiting (from the ketosis), which contributes to the dehydration. The condition is treated as a medical emergency with intravenous fluid and insulin; patients should be monitored in high-dependency units.... diabetic ketoacidosis

progressive damage to the kidneys seen in some people with long-standing diabetes. Excessive leakage of protein into the urine is followed by gradual decline of the kidney function and even kidney failure. See also diabetic glomerulosclerosis.... diabetic nephropathy

progressive damage to the peripheral nerves seen in some people with long-standing diabetes. It most commonly affects the legs, causing pain or numbness working up from the feet. There is no cure but drugs can sometimes be used to control the discomfort experienced, and good blood glucose control may prevent deterioration over time. See also diabetic holiday foot syndrome.... diabetic neuropathy

damage to the retina associated with severe head injuries. It can also occur with other types of trauma, such as long-bone fractures, and with several nontraumatic systemic diseases. [O. Purtscher (1852–1927), Austrian ophthalmologist]... purtscher’s retinopathy