Diabetes Glossary: C
Description
This article is from the Health Articles series.
Diabetes Glossary: C
C.D.E. (Certified Diabetes Educator)
A health care professional who is qualified by the American Association of Diabetes Educators to teach people with diabetes how to manage their condition. The health care team for diabetes should include a diabetes educator, preferably a C.D.E.
C-Peptide
A substance that the pancreas releases into the bloodstream in equal amounts to insulin. A test of C-peptide levels will show how much insulin the body is making.
Calcium Channel Blocker
A drug used to lower blood pressure.
Callus
A small area of skin, usually on the foot, that has become thick and hard from rubbing or pressure. Calluses may lead to other problems such as serious infection. Shoes that fit well can keep calluses from forming. See also: Foot care.
Calorie
Energy that comes from food. Some foods have more calories than others. Fats have many calories. Most vegetables have few. People with diabetes are advised to follow meal plans with suggested amounts of calories for each meal and/or snack. See also: Meal plan; exchange lists.
Capillary
The smallest of the body's blood vessels. Capillaries have walls so thin that oxygen and glucose can pass through them and enter the cells, and waste products such as carbon dioxide can pass back into the blood to be carried away and taken out of the body. Sometimes people who have had diabetes for a long time find that their capillaries become weak, especially those in the kidney and the retina of the eye. See also: Blood vessels.
Capsaicin
A topical ointment made from chili peppers used to relieve the pain of peripheral neuropathy.
Carbohydrate
One of the three main classes of foods and a source of energy. Carbohydrates are mainly sugars and starches that the body breaks down into glucose (a simple sugar that the body can use to feed its cells). The body also uses carbohydrates to make a substance called glycogen that is stored in the liver and muscles for future use. If the body does not have enough insulin or cannot use the insulin it has, then the body will not be able to use carbohydrates for energy the way it should. This condition is called diabetes. See also: Fats; protein.
Cardiologist
A doctor who sees and takes care of people with heart disease; a heart specialist.
Cardiovascular
Relating to the heart and blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries); the circulatory system.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
A nerve disorder affecting the hand that may occur in people with diabetes; caused by a pinched nerve.
Cataract
Clouding of the lens of the eye. In people with diabetes, this condition is sometimes referred to as "sugar cataract."
Cerebrovascular Disease
Damage to the blood vessels in the brain, resulting in a stroke. The blood vessels become blocked because of fat deposits or they become thick and hard, blocking the flow of blood to the brain. Sometimes, the blood vessels may burst, resulting in a hemorrhagic stroke. People with diabetes are at higher risk of cerebrovascular disease. See also: Macrovascular disease; stroke.
Charcot Foot
A foot complication associated with diabetic neuropathy that results in destruction of joints and soft tissue. Also called "Charcot's joint" and "neuropathic arthropathy."
Chemical Diabetes
A term no longer used. See: Impaired glucose tolerance.
Chlorpropamide
A pill taken to lower the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Only some people with noninsulin-dependent diabetes take these pills. See also: Oral hypoglycemic agents
Cholesterol
A fat-like substance found in blood, muscle, liver, brain, and other tissues in people and animals. The body makes and needs some cholesterol. Too much cholesterol, however, may cause fat to build up in the artery walls and cause a disease that slows or stops the flow of blood. Butter and egg yolks are foods that have a lot of cholesterol.
Chronic
Present over a long period of time. Diabetes is an example of chronic disease.
Circulation
The flow of blood through the heart and blood vessels of the body.
Clinical Trial
A scientifically controlled study carried out in people, usually to test the effectiveness of a new treatment.
Coma
A sleep-like state; not conscious. May be due to a high or low level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. See also: Diabetic coma.
Comatose
In a coma; not conscious.
Complications of Diabetes
Harmful effects that may happen when a person has diabetes. Some effects, such as hypoglycemia, can happen any time. Others develop when a person has had diabetes for a long time. These include damage to the retina of the eye (retinopathy), the blood vessels (angiopathy), the nervous system (neuropathy), and the kidneys (nephropathy). Studies show that keeping blood glucose levels as close to the normal, nondiabetic range as possible may help prevent, slow, or delay harmful effects to the eyes, kidneys, and nerves.
Congenital Defects
Problems or conditions that are present at birth.
Congestive Heart Failure
Heart failure caused by loss of pumping power by the heart, resulting in fluids collecting in the body. Congestive heart failure often develops gradually over several years, although it also can happen suddenly. It can be treated by drugs and in some cases, by surgery.
Contraindication
A condition that makes a treatment not helpful or even harmful.
Controlled Disease
Taking care of oneself so that a disease has less of an effect on the body. People with diabetes can "control" the disease by staying on their diets, by exercising, by taking medicine if it is needed, and by monitoring their blood glucose. This care will help keep the glucose (sugar) level in the blood from becoming either too high or too low.
Conventional Therapy
A system of diabetes management practiced by most people with diabetes; the system consists of one or two insulin injections each day, daily self-monitoring of blood glucose, and a standard program of nutrition and exercise. The main objective in this form of treatment is to avoid very high and very low blood glucose (sugar). Also called: "Standard Therapy."
Coronary Disease
Damage to the heart. Not enough blood flows through the vessels because they are blocked with fat or have become thick and hard; this harms the muscles of the heart. People with diabetes are at a higher risk of coronary disease.
Coxsackie B4 Virus
An agent that has been shown to damage the beta cells of the pancreas in lab tests. This virus may be one cause of insulin-dependent diabetes.
Creatinine
A chemical found in the blood and passed in the urine. A test of the amount of creatinine in blood or in blood and urine shows if the kidney is working right or if it is diseased. This is called the creatinine clearance test.
CSII: Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion
See: Insulin pump.
Cyclamate
A man-made chemical that people used instead of sugar. The Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of cyclamates in 1973 because lab tests showed that large amounts of cyclamates can cause bladder cancer in rats.
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