Diabetes insipidus is a rare condition that causes you to have an almost unquenchable thirst and your body to make a lot of urine that is colorless and odorless. Most people pee out 1 to 2 quarts a day. People with diabetes insipidus can pass between 3 and 20 quarts a day. The main types of diabetes insipidus include central, nephrogenic, and pregnancy-related.
Diabetes insipidus is a different disease from diabetes mellitus. Their names are similar, but the only things they have in common is that they make you thirsty and make you pee a lot.
If you have diabetes insipidus, the hormones that help your body balance liquids don’t work. Only one in every 25,000 people gets this condition.
With diabetes mellitus (often shortened to “diabetes”), your body can’t use energy from food like it should. It’s far more common. Around 100 million Americans have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
Symptoms include:
With dehydration, you might notice:
Many of the symptoms are similar in younger people. In infants, watch for:
In children, signs include:
Your body makes a hormone called vasopressin in a part of your brain called the hypothalamus. It’s stored in your pituitary gland. Vasopressin tells your kidneys to hold on to water, which makes your urine more concentrated. (Vasopressin is also called antidiuretic hormone or ADH.)
When you’re thirsty or a little dehydrated, your vasopressin levels go up. Your kidneys absorb more water and put out concentrated urine. If you’ve had enough to drink, vasopressin levels fall, and what comes out is clear and diluted.
When your body doesn’t make enough vasopressin, the condition is called central diabetes insipidus. Anyone can get central DI, but it’s not common. Only about 1 in every 25,000 people gets it.
If you make enough but your kidneys don’t respond to it the way they should, you have nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.
In either form, the result is the same. Your kidneys can’t keep water, so even if you’re dehydrated, they’ll put out a lot of pale urine.
Changes in the genes that you inherit from your parents can make you more likely to get diabetes insipidus. This happens in 1% to 2% of cases.
Your doctor will do a physical exam. A checkup may not show any signs of central DI, except maybe an enlarged bladder or symptoms of dehydration.
They’ll ask questions about your health history, including your family’s health. You might get a series of tests that include:
Diabetes insipidus that isn’t under control can make you more likely to have complications like:
First, your doctor will tell you to drink plenty of fluids. That will replace the constant loss of water. Other treatments depend on which type you have:
Diabetes insipidus doesn’t cause kidney failure or lead to dialysis. Your kidneys still do their main job, which is to filter your blood.
But you will be more prone to dehydration. Make sure you always have something to drink close by, especially when it’s hot or when you exercise. Carry your medication with you, and avoid situations where you can’t get water. It’s also a good idea to wear “medic alert” jewelry, or keep a note with you about your condition, so that health care workers know about it.
SOURCES:
eMedicine: “Diabetes Insipidus.”
MedicineNet: “Diabetes Insipidus.”
Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus Foundation: “NDI Facts and Statistics.”
Diabetes Insipidus Foundation: “What Is Diabetes Insipidus?” “The 4 Types of DI.”
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: “Diabetes Insipidus,” “Diabetes Statistics.”
National Health Service: “Diabetes insipidus.”
DiabetesInsipidus.org: “Diabetes Insipidus Statistics.”
Cleveland Clinic: “Diabetes Mellitus: An Overview,” “Nocturia.”
Mayo Clinic: “Diabetes insipidus.”
Medscape: “Diabetes Insipidus Workup.”
You and Your Hormones: “Diabetes insipidus.”
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: “Diabetes Insipidus in Children.”
Merck Manual Consumer Version: “Central Diabetes Insipidus.”
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Diabeets
12/10/2022