Excretion of large amounts of severely diluted urine, which cannot be reduced by the reduced intake of fluid, is called diabetes insipidus (DI). This condition shows the kidney’s inability to concentrate urine.

A deficiency of antidiuretic hormone (ADH), or by kidney’s insensitivity to that hormone is the reason one suffers from diabetes insipidus.

DI Signs and Symptoms:

Diabetes mellitus, another type of diabetes, and Diabetes insipidus have quite similar symptoms. There are only two differences, which are the nonexistence of hyperglycemia or elevated blood glucose and lack of sweetness in the urine. Blurred vision is rarely suffered by DI sufferers.

A sufferer of DI passes intense urine throughout the day and the night. DI interferes with eating, weight gain, appetite, and also growth in children. Diarrhea, vomiting, or fever may be presented with them. Unlike children, adults with DI show no signs and symptoms of the disease for decades as long as they drink enough water to offset the urinary losses. Nevertheless, continuous risk of dehydration remains in adults.

DI Treatment:

Gestational DI and central DI both respond to desmopressin, a synthetic drug that mimics the action of antidiuretic hormone which may be taken nasally or intravenously. In dipsogenic DI is not typically an option and it is ineffective in nephrogenic DI. What confirms NDI is indomethacin or the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCT or HCTZ), a popular diuretic drug that acts by inhibiting the kidney’s ability to retain water and which reduces the volume of the blood, decreasing peripheral vascular resistance. Diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, if taken alone, can cause hypokalemia, a potentially fatal condition in which the body fails to retain sufficient potassium to maintain health. To prevent this fatal condition HCT is sometimes combined with amiloride.

One of the important aspects of DI treatment is that the patient is required to drink fluids only when he/she is thirsty.