A to C

Annual review
This is an essential check of your health that everyone with diabetes should have once a year. It includes various blood tests and physical examinations and also offers an opportunity to chat with your diabetes healthcare team about your diabetes and any issues relating to it.

Atheroma
Breakdown of the walls of the arteries due to the formation of fatty plaques and scar tissue in them. This limits blood circulation.

Atherosclerosis
A disease of the arteries in which fatty plaques develop on their inner walls with eventual obstruction of blood flow.

Autoimmune
Where something goes wrong with the immune defence and the cells of your own body are attacked. This is seen in Type 1 diabetes, as the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas are destroyed by a process in the body known as "autoimmunity" in which the body's cells attack each other, leading to a loss of insulin production.

Autolysis
The destruction of tissues or cells brought about by the actions of their own enzymes.

Beta cells
Cells in the islets of your pancreas that produce insulin.

Blood glucose level
The amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood.

Blood glucose meters
These are electronic machines that you and your diabetes team can use to test your current blood glucose level.

Blood glucose strips
These are the test strips used with a blood glucose meter. You insert a strip into a blood glucose meter, prick your finger and place the blood sample on the strip. The meter reads the strip and gives your current blood glucose level.

Blood pressure
This is the amount of force exerted by your blood against the walls of your arteries.

Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI is an expression of adult weight in relation to height.

Callus
The composite mass of tissue that forms between bone ends when a fracture is healing. Callus is also the mass of tissue that can develop over pressure areas of the feet in people with diabetes who have ischaemia and/or neuropathy.

Carbohydrates
These come from food that we digest. During digestion, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. They are the main source of energy in our diet and include all sugars and starches (eg pasta, bread, rice and potatoes).

Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
CVD refers to diseases of the heart and circulatory system, including coronory heart disease (CHD) and stroke.

Charcot arthropathy
A damaged, swollen and deformed joint resulting from repeated minor injuries of which the patient is unaware because the nerves that normally register pain are not functioning.

Cholesterol
Blood fats present in certain foods and also produced by your liver. There are two types of cholesterol, HDL which is good and LDL, which is bad. Your cholesterol profile should be checked regularly by your diabetes team to ensure levels are appropriate.

Coeliac disease
An intolerance to gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, barley and oats.

Coma
An unconscious state.