Mild form of diabetes mellitus that develops gradually in adults; can be precipitated by obesity or severe stress or menopause or other factors; can usually be controlled by diet and hypoglycemic agents without injections of insulin. Synonyms: adult-onset diabetes, adult-onset diabetes mellitus, ketoacidosis-resistant diabetes mellitus, ketosis-resistant diabetes, ketosis-resistant diabetes mellitus, mature-onset diabetes, maturity-onset diabetes, maturity-onset diabetes mellitus, NIDDM, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, type II diabetes.
