n :  a form of diabetes mellitus that usu. develops during childhood or adolescence and is characterized by a severe deficiency in insulin secretion resulting from atrophy of the islets of Langerhans and causing hyperglycemia and a marked tendency toward ketoacidosis - abbr. IDDM - called also insulin-dependent diabetes , juvenile diabetes , juvenile-onset diabetes , type I diabetes  .
 
 
 
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  © 1997-2024.