Acronyms Used By People with Diabetes

The following is some of the common and not so common acronyms that are associated with and used by people with diabetes and writers of diabetes articles.

A1C: A test that shows the percentage of hemoglobin that has glucose attached. Hemoglobin is composed of several components, and the component of concern is the "c" subcomponent of the "A1" component of hemoglobin. See Glycosylated Hemoglobin and similar diabetes tests. Also referred to as the HbA1C test.

AACE: American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists


AADE: American Association of Diabetes Educators


ADA: American Diabetes Association

AND: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

BMI: Body Mass Index. A measure of total body fat, which takes into, account a person's weight and height.


CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A U.S. governmental agency.


CDE: Certified Diabetes Educator. A health professional who is certified by the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators to teach people with diabetes how to manage their condition.


CHO: Carbohydrate Also referred to as Carb(s)

CMS: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

CSII: Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (by insulin pump).


DCCT: Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, a research study.


DI: Diabetes insipidus. A different disorder from DM.


DIDMOAD: diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy and
deafness. Also called Wolfram Syndrome.


DM: Diabetes mellitus


DPP: Diabetes Prevention Program, a research study.


DSME: Diabetes self-management education DSME and DSMT have been in use for several years and are recognized by AADE.


DSMS: Diabetes self-management support This term came into existence in late 2012. The official definition is important and can be read in this blog. Presently, the AADE has refused to officially recognize this.


DSMT: Diabetes self-management training

ER: Electronic Record(s)

EHR: Electronic Health Record(s)

EMR: Electronic Medical Record(s)

FBS: Fasting blood sugar


FBG: Fasting blood glucose


FPG: Fasting plasma glucose

FDA: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

GAD: Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase. The presence of antibodies to GAD
(called anti-GAD antibodies) in the blood is an early indication of the
start of the autoimmune process in Type 1 Diabetes.


IDF: International Diabetes Federation


IVGTT: Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test


JDRF or JDF: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Now correctly listed as JDRF

LADA: Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults

mHealth: Mobile health – generally associated with devices and apps that can track certain health conditions. Diabetes is now included with a couple of apps.

MODY: Maturity-onset diabetes of the young

NIDDK: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease:
A U.S. government agency that deals with diabetes; part of the NIH.


NIH: National Institute of Health

OGTT: Oral glucose tolerance test

PHHI: Persistent Hyperinsulinemic Hypoglycemia of Infancy. An alternate
term for Nesidioblastosis.

PWD: Person with diabetes or people with diabetes.

RD: Registered dietitians are supposed to be trained to give us nutritional information to help us in our management of diabetes. Normally members of AND

SAD: Standard American Diet

SMBG: Self-monitoring of blood glucose

USDA: U.S. Department of Agriculture

The diabetes complications: Common for people with diabetes, but not exclusive to people with diabetes

CKD: Chronic kidney disease

CVD: Cardiovascular disease

This is not intended to be a comprehensive list. I will work on another list to post in the future. If you have a list or even a few and wish them included, please send them my way.