Diabetes insipidus
Diabetes insipidus is a rare condition where you produce a large amount of urine and often feel thirsty.
Diabetes insipidus isn't related to diabetes mellitus (usually just known as diabetes ), but it does share some of the same signs and symptoms.
The two main symptoms of diabetes insipidus are:
In very severe cases of diabetes insipidus, up to 20 litres of urine can be passed in a day.
Although it may not be diabetes insipidus, it should be investigated.
Also see your GP if you're:
Children tend to urinate more frequently because they have smaller bladders. However, seek medical advice if your child urinates more than 10 times a day.
Your GP will be able to carry out a number of tests to help determine what's causing the problem.
It's produced by specialist nerve cells in apart of the brain known as the hypothalamus. AVP passes from the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland where it's stored until needed.
The pituitary gland releases AVPwhen the amount of water in the body becomes too low.It helps retain water in the body by reducing the amount of water lost through the kidneys, making the kidney producemore concentrated urine.
In diabetes insipidus,the lack of production of AVP means the kidney can't make enough concentrated urineand too much water is passed from the body. In rare cases, the kidney doesn't respond to AVP. This causes a specific form of diabetes insipidus, called nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.
People feel thirsty as the body tries to compensate for the increased loss of water by increasing the amount of water taken in.
Diabetes insipidus affects about one in 25,000 people in the general population. Adults are more likely to develop the condition but it can occur at any age.
In rarer cases, diabetesinsipidus can develop during pregnancy, known asgestational diabetes insipidus.
There are two main types of diabetes insipidus:
Cranial diabetes insipidus occurs when there's notenough AVP in the body to regulate urine production.
Cranial diabetes insipidus is the most common type of diabetes insipidus. It can be caused by damage to the hypothalamus or pituitary gland for example, after an infection, operation, brain tumour or head injury .
In about one in three cases of cranial diabetes insipidus there's no obvious reason why the hypothalamus stops making enough AVP.
Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus occurs when there's enough AVP in the body but the kidneys fail to respond to it. It can be caused by kidney damage or, in some cases, inherited as a problem on its own.
Some medications, particularly lithium (used to help stabilise mood in some people with specific mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder ), can cause nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.
Treatment isn't always needed for mild cases of cranial diabetes insipidus. You just need to increase the amount of water you drink to compensate for the fluid lost through urination.
If necessary, a medication called desmopressin can be used to replicate the functions of AVP.
Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus is often treated with medications called thiazide diuretics which reduce the amount of urine the kidneys produce.
Asdiabetes insipidus increases water loss in the urine, the amount of water in the body can become low. This is known as dehydration .
Rehydration with water can be used to treat mild dehydration. Severe dehydration will need to be treated in hospital.
This helps scientists look for better ways to prevent and treat this condition. You can opt out of the register at any time.
Diabetes insipidus is a rare condition where you produce a large amount of urine and often feel thirsty.
Needing to frequently pass large amounts of urine and feeling thirsty are the two main symptoms of diabetes insipidus.
Diabetes insipidus is caused by problems with a chemical called antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which is also known as vasopressin.
See your GP if you have the symptoms of diabetes insipidus. They'll ask about your symptoms and carry out a number of tests.
Treatments for diabetes insipidus aim to reduce the amount of urine your body produces.
Diabetes insipidus can sometimes cause complications, particularly if it's undiagnosed or poorly controlled.