Diabetes Glossary Terms: A

a chronic disease that is characterized by enlargement of the bones of the head, hands and feet and the swelling of soft tissue, especially the tongue. It is caused by the pituitary gland secreting excessive amounts of growth hormone.

a disease caused by the failure of the adrenal glands to secrete the adrenocortical hormones, because the adrenal cortex has been damaged. This damage commonly used to be caused by tuberculosis but now it may more often result from disturbances in the immune system. The symptoms of the disease are wasting, weakness, low blood pressure and dark pigmentation of the skin.

each of the two kidneys within the body bears an adrenal gland on its upper surface. The adrenal glands are important endocrine organs, producing hormones that regulate various body functions. Each adrenal gland has two parts, an outer cortex and an inner medulla, which secrete a variety of hormones. Two of the most important ones are adrenaline and cortisone.

a very important hormone produced by the medulla of the adrenal glands, which, when released, prepares the body for 'fright, flight or fight' by increasing the depth and rate of respiration, raising the heartbeat rate and improving muscle performance. It also has an inhibitive effect on the processes of digestion and excretion. It can be used medically in a variety of ways, for instance in the treatment of bronchial asthma, where it relaxes the airways, and also to stimulate the heart when there is cardiac arrest.

the end products of the digestion of protein foods and the building blocks from which all the protein components of the body are built up. They all contain an acidic carboxyl group (-COOH) and an amino group (-NH2), which are both bonded to the same central carbon atom. Some can be manufactured within the body whereas others, the essential amino acids, must be derived from protein sources in the diet.

one of a group of hormones that is responsible for the development of the sex organs and also the secondary sexual characteristics in the male. Androgens are steroid hormones, and the best-known example is testosterone. They are mainly secreted by the testes in the male but are also produced by the adrenal cortex and by the ovaries of females in small amounts.

protein substances of the globulin type which are produced by the lymphoid tissue and circulate in the blood. They react with their corresponding antigens and neutralize them, rendering them harmless. Antibodies are produced against a wide variety of antigens and these reactions are responsible for immunity and allergy.

any substance that causes the formation by the body of antibodies to neutralize their effect. Antigens are often protein substances, regarded as 'foreign' and 'invading' by the body, and elicit the production of antibodies against them.

a degenerative disease of the arteries associated with fatty deposits on the inner walls, leading to reduced blood flow.

a failure of the immune system in which the body develops antibodies that attack components or substances belonging to itself.

system the part of the nervous system that controls body functions that are not under conscious control, e.g. the heartbeat and other smooth muscles and glands. It is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.