MedTerms Medical Dictionary

Labile: Unstable, unsteady, not fixed.

In psychology or psychiatry, labile denotes free and uncontrolled moods or behaviors expressing emotions.

In biochemistry, labile means easily removable as, for example, a labile hydrogen molecule.

In the context of diabetes, labile is a term used when a diabetic person's blood glucose (sugar) level often swings quickly and widely from high to low and from low to high. Also called brittle and unstable diabetes or type I diabetes.

Labile comes from the Latin labilis, meaning liable to slip.

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