Which term refers to a disease affecting insulin regulation that leads to hyperglycemia?

• A. Glucagon
• B. DKA
• C. Insulin
• D. Diabetes Mellitus

Answer: (D)

Hyperglycemia due to problems with insulin production or action describes diabetes mellitus. This is a chronic condition that includes type 1, where insulin production is reduced or absent, and type 2, where insulin resistance means the body's cells don’t use insulin effectively. It captures the ongoing disease process of impaired insulin regulation that leads to elevated blood glucose. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious acute complication that can arise in diabetes, but it is not the disease itself. Glucagon is a hormone that raises blood glucose, and insulin is the hormone that lowers it; neither alone defines the disease.