glossary

You may have moments of feeling rather dumb as you enter this whole new world of diabetes and heaps of new terminology and big words are thrown at you. Just to make sure you can jargon it with the best of them Reality Check provides explanations of big words you might hear thrown around.

Autoimmune Disease - disorder of the body's immune system in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys body tissue that it believes to be foreign. Insulin dependant diabetes is an autoimmune disease because the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells.

Basal rate - a steady trickle of low levels of insulin, provided either by long-acting insulins (Proptaphane, Humulin NPH, Lantus, Levemir etc) or, in a more sophisticated manner by insulin pumps i.e. they can be programmed to change the rate at different times throughout the day when it is known that more or less insulin is generally required. Also sometimes called background insulin. See insulin delivery methods for more.

Beta Cells - a type of cell in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas that make and release insulin.

Bolus - an amount of insulin taken to cover an expected rise in blood glucose, often related to a meal or snack. Also, a "correctional bolus" is a blous taken to "correct" a high blood glucose level regardless of whether food is also to be eaten.

Clinic - major public hospitals run clinics which is when a group of doctors come along and a group of patients come too and you wait in line to see a doctor. Sounds dull but it's free, and there's often an opportunity to see a diabetes educator or dietitian or something at the same time and get it all out of the way.

Complications - a simple word which takes on a whole new meaning in diabetes - the term used to group together all the scary shit that can happen after many years of living with diabetes.

DA - Diabetes Australia - organisation that provides a range of services for everyone with diabetes as well as diabetes health professionals. The organizations differ in each state and are contracted by the federal government to administer the NDSS - the scheme by which we get subsidised blood testing strips and needles.

DCCT - A massive trial done in American in the late 80s to early 90s which proved for the first time conclusively that close monitoring and tight control of blood glucose levels lowers your risk of long term complications.

DNE - short for Diabetes Nurse Educator - see Educator.

Educator - short for Diabetes Nurse Educator. A senior nurse who has specialist training and/or experience in diabetes.

Endo - short for endocrinologist - your diabetes specialist.

Endocrinologist - the type of doctor who specialises in diabetes (amongst other things). Also known as an Endo.

GI (Factor) or Glycemic Index is simply a ranking of foods based on their immediate overall effect on blood sugar levels (low G.I means smaller rise of blood sugar) (see GI factor for more details).

Glucagon - a hormone produced naturally by the human body to release stored glucose from the liver and raise blood glucose levels when needed. This doesn't work so well in diabetes so you can get Glucagon on prescription and it can be injected if you have a really bad hypo and need some glucose quick smart.

Haemoglobin A1c (aka Glycosylated Haemoglobin or HbA1c) A blood test which looks at specific cells in your blood and gives an indicator of how your blood sugars have been going over the previous 2 - 3 months. The result is a % of the glucose that has glycated (or attached) to the haemoglobin of the red blood cells. (Though the numbers seem similar, it is not the same test by any means as your blood glucose tests you do at home.) The target is below 7%. People without diabetes will be below 6%.

Humalog - type of insulin - fastest acting version, generally used at meal times (very similar to NovoRapid but made by a different company).

Humulin - brand of insulin - several different types with different uses. Ssee insulin for more.

Hyperglycaemia - HIGH blood glucose level.

Hypo (short for hypoglycaemia, too low a level of glucose/sugar in the blood). Occurs when a person with diabetes has injected too much insulin, eaten too little food, had too much alcohol, or has exercised without extra food. Someone experiencing a hypo may feel, nervous, shaky, weak, or sweaty, and have a headache, blurred vision and hunger. Taking small amounts of sugar, sweet juice or food with sugar, will usually help a the person to feel better within 10-15 minutes. See hypo fixes for more.

Hypoglycaemia - LOW blood glucose level - see Hypo.

IDDM - Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus - also known as Type 1 or Juvenile Diabetes.

Insulin - a hormone that helps the body use glucose (sugar) for energy. The beta cells of the pancreas (in islets of Langerhans) make the insulin.

Islets/Islet Cells (pronunciation: EYE-let cells). The clumps of cells within the pancreas that include; alpha cells, which make glucagon; beta cells, which make insulin; delta cells, which make somatostatin; and PP cells and D1 cells about which little is known. The islet cells appear under low-power magnification to be islands (islands within the pancreas). First described by Dr. Paul Langerhans in 1869.

Ketoacidosis is when people with diabetes don't have enough insulin in their system, the body starts to break down fat for energy and ketones are produced as a by-product. If this continues, the ketones can cause the pH of the blood to change and a very dangerous condition called Ketoacidosis develops. Click here for more.

Mg/dL - milligrams per 100 mL - measurement of blood glucose used in America. Divide by 18 to get Australian measurement (mmol/L).

mMol/L - milliMol per Litre - measurement of blood glucose in Australia & Europe (for definition of a Mol and milliMol see your Year 11 Chemistry teacher!).

NDSS - scheme by which we get government subsidised blood testing strips and needles. You can go into a Diabetes Australia office near you, a chemist which is a registered NDSS outlet, or order your stuff by phone or over the internet.

NovoRapid - type of insulin - fastest acting version, generally used at meal times (very similar to Humalog but made by a different company).

Pancreas - an organ behind the lower part of the stomach that is about 12 - 15 cm long in an adult. It has two major responsibilities. The endocrine pancreas makes insulin so that the body can use glucose (sugar) for energy. The exocrine pancreas makes enzymes that help the body digest food. Throughout the pancreas are clusters of cells called Islets of Langerhans (see Islets/Islet Cells).

Protaphane - type of insulin - long-acting, generally used at bed time.

Registrar - a person who is fully trained as a doctor but still finalising his/her training in their specialisation such as diabetes or endocrinology. It might sound like they're not your best choice to ask for advice - but think about it - they finished med school this century so should be right up to speed with the latest and greatest! (They're generally also young and, if you're lucky, groovy!). See Doctors & Nurses for more.

Subcutaneous - into the fat layer beneath the skin. Subcutaneous injections are the way we take insulin - it means a relatively tiny needle which injects the insulin just under the skin, not into the muscle like some other types of injections. See insulin delivery methods for more.<