What is Diabetes Mellitus?

Understanding Diabetes Insipidus

Although diabetes Insipidus is a rare condition, understanding the facts surrounding the condition are crucial so that you will know what to do if you are suffering from it or if you know of someone who is afflicted with this disease.

Understanding how diabetes Insipidus happens, and learn about the different signs and symptoms and how it can be treated.

Different Types of Diabetes Insipidus

Diabetes Insipidus or DI is a rare disorder wherein the kidneys are not able to conserve water while filtering the blood which is their primary function. There are different types of DI, each of them having a different cause.

Central diabetes Insipidus is the most common one, which occurs when there is a deficiency of vasopressin, the hormone that controls the conservation of water in the body. This often results from damage to the pituitary gland or hypothalamus because of head injuries, infections, surgeries or tumors.

Nephrogenic diabetes Insipidus on the other hand happens because of a defect in parts of the kidneys that are responsible in reabsorbing water. This is often inherited, with the male children receiving the defective gene from their mothers.

For dipsogenic diabetes Insipidus, it is caused by a defect on the thirst mechanism, causing an abnormality in the fluid intake of a person. Lastly, gestational diabetes Insipidus occurs during pregnancy where the vasopressin is affected by an enzyme in the placenta.

Differentiating Diabetes Insipidus from Diabetes Mellitus

If you are not a health care professional and you are not interested in health topics, the type of diabetes that you would probably know is diabetes mellitus (DM). This is the most common type of diabetes, receiving much of the attention of most people.

Diabetes mellitus and diabetes Insipidus are not related however, even if the two can have similar manifestations. Diabetes mellitus is caused by insulin resistance or deficiency that results in high blood glucose levels. Despite having similarities in signs and symptoms, do not confuse diabetes mellitus with DI for these two are treated differently.

Manifestations and Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus

There are two characteristic manifestations of diabetes Insipidus which are excessive thirst and excessive urine volume. People who are suffering from DI often get extremely thirsty for cold water or ice water and usually drink more than the recommended amount of water intake in a day.

The thirst can be intense and uncontrollable, with the person having a craving for ice water. Meanwhile, excessive urine volume results from the damage to the vasopressin, which also leads to excessive urination.

The urination occurs throughout the day and even during nighttime. Other signs and symptoms of diabetes Insipidus include excessive body weakness, muscle pains, irritability and lethargy which are caused by the loss of fluids in the body.

For children, diabetes Insipidus affects their growth, appetite, weight gain and eating. They can also suffer from vomiting, diarrhea and fever because of the disease. In people who have DI, dehydration is very common as well as the loss of potassium.

Because of the similarities of the manifestations of DI and DM, a person suffering from DI will usually be suspected of having DM during initial assessments done by a health care provider. There are tests however that will determine which type of diabetes Insipidus you are suffering from such that treatment can be started as early as possible to avoid complications of the disease.

You will usually be required to undergo urinalysis to determine the concentration of your urine and fluid deprivation test to determine the cause of your DI. For some, blood tests and magnetic resonance imaging are required for an accurate diagnosis.

Once you have been properly diagnosed, your treatment diabetes Insipidus will begin as necessary. The treatment will actually depend on the type of diabetes Insipidus that you are suffering from which is why the diagnosis is necessary.

For central DI, vasopressin (DDAVP, desmopressin) is the choice of treatment since it replaces the lacking vasopressin in the body. This can be taken orally in the form of tablets or through a nasal spray depending on your doctor’s recommendation.

For Nephrogenic diabetes Insipidus that was caused by a particular medication, the use of the drug should be stopped so that the kidneys can return to their normal functioning. This will depend of course on the extent of damage that was done to the kidneys for prolonged medication use leads to permanent diabetes Insipidus.

If the nephritic DI is hereditary, anti-inflammatory medications such as indomethacin and diuretics are used for the treatment along with drinking enough fluids to replace the ones being lost during urination.

Gestational diabetes Insipidus can be treated with desmopressin and carbamazepine, an anti-convulsant. Gestational DI usually resolves on its own after 4 to 6 weeks of giving birth. For dipsogenic diabetes Insipidus, there is no treatment yet for this type of diabetes.

When suffering from diabetes Insipidus, adequate fluid intake is necessary so that you will not be dehydrated. If you remember, there is excessive urination which means you lose more fluids than what is normally done by the body.

To compensate for this loss of fluids, you need to drink more water, more than the amount that you excrete. This will keep the water in your body balanced, avoiding dehydration which can lead to other signs and symptoms such as lethargy and extreme body weakness.

There are no dietary restrictions for diabetes Insipidus as compared to diabetes mellitus but you should understand that it is important for you to have an adequate intake of salt and water. When travelling, people suffering from DI should take special precautions.

You have to be careful and prepared since you may experience diarrhea or vomiting during your trip. You should also avoid dehydration especially if you are travelling to warm places.

When you comply with the treatment methods recommended to you for diabetes Insipidus, your disease will be managed well. Complications such as dehydration and electrolyte imbalance will be avoided, which will allow you to perform your activities of daily living without interruption. Even if you are suffering from diabetes Insipidus, you can still live your life fully, as long as you get treated properly.

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