diabetes mellitus

/ (məˈlaɪtəs) /


noun
  1. a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism characterized by excessive thirst and excretion of abnormally large quantities of urine containing an excess of sugar, caused by a deficiency of insulin: See also IDDM, NIDDM

Origin of diabetes mellitus

1
C18: New Latin, literally: honey-sweet diabetes

Words Nearby diabetes mellitus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use diabetes mellitus in a sentence

Scientific definitions for diabetes mellitus

diabetes mellitus

[ dī′ə-bētĭs mə-lītəs, -tēz ]


  1. A metabolic disease characterized by abnormally high levels of glucose in the blood, caused by an inherited inability to produce insulin (Type 1) or an acquired resistance to insulin (Type 2). Type 1 diabetes, which typically appears in childhood or adolescence, is marked by excessive thirst, frequent urination, and weight loss and requires treatment with insulin injections. Type 2 diabetes appears during adulthood, usually in overweight or elderly individuals, and is treated with oral medication or insulin. People with either type of diabetes benefit from dietary restriction of sugars and other carbohydrates. Uncontrolled blood glucose levels increase the risk for long-term medical complications including peripheral nerve disease, retinal damage, kidney disease, and progressive atherosclerosis caused by damage to endothelial cells in blood vessels, leading to coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for diabetes mellitus

diabetes mellitus

[ (deye-uh-bee-teez, deye-uh-bee-tuhs mel-uh-tuhs) ]


A chronic disease in which carbohydrates cannot be metabolized properly (see metabolism) because the pancreas fails to secrete an adequate amount of insulin. Without enough insulin, carbohydrate metabolism is upset, and levels of sugar in the blood rise.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.