adult-onset diabetes
An adult with adult-onset diabetes checks their blood sugar at the kitchen table.
Noun: A mild form of diabetes mellitus that develops gradually in adults. It is characterized by the body's inability to use insulin effectively (insulin resistance) and can be triggered by factors such as obesity, severe stress, or menopause. This condition can typically be managed through dietary changes and oral hypoglycemic medications, without requiring insulin injections.
- The doctor diagnosed him with adult-onset diabetes and recommended lifestyle modifications.
- Managing adult-onset diabetes often involves a combination of diet, exercise, and medication.
- A family history and being overweight are significant risk factors for developing adult-onset diabetes.
- Clinical Context: The term is often used in medical and public health discussions to distinguish this common, lifestyle-influenced form of diabetes from Type 1 diabetes, which typically has a juvenile onset and requires insulin.
- Public health campaigns focus on prevention strategies for adult-onset diabetes.
- Type 2 diabetes: The more precise and contemporary clinical term for this condition.
- Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM): An older clinical term, now less commonly used.
- Maturity-onset diabetes: Another historical synonym, emphasizing its typical occurrence in adulthood.
- Type 2 diabetes
- Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM)
This term specifically refers to the form of diabetes that develops in adulthood, contrasting with juvenile-onset (Type 1) diabetes. The defining features are its gradual onset, strong association with lifestyle factors like obesity, and initial management without insulin therapy. The preferred modern medical term is Type 2 diabetes.
An adult with adult-onset diabetes checks their blood sugar at the kitchen table.
- mild form of diabetes mellitus that develops gradually in adults; can be precipitated by obesity or severe stress or menopause or other factors; can usually be controlled by diet and hypoglycemic agents without injections of insulin