Diabetes Insipidus

What is Diabetes Insipidus?



Unlike other types of diabetes such as Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes Insipidus is a disease that is linked to the pituitary gland in the brain. When the word diabetes is mentioned most people will assume that we are speaking of Diabetes Mellitus (Sugar Diabetes). Diabetes Insipidus though is not caused by a lack of insulin or the lack of insulin regulation. Diabetes Insipidus happens when the pituitary gland does not make enough of the hormone ADH. Antidiuretic Hormone is needed to control the amount of water in the body. Diabetes Insipidus can be a serious or even fatal disease if not caught and treated. The treatment may be ongoing for the rest of your life.



What causes Diabetes Insipidus?



Like all forms of diabetes no one knows exactly what causes the actual disease however they do know that people that have had other problems are prime candidates to develop Diabetes Insipidus.



If you have or have had any of the following you may develop Diabetes Insipidus:



* A brain aneurysm which is a weak spot in a blood vessel causing the artery to balloon out much like a weak spot on a tire causes a "bulge"



* Any type of brain infection



* A Tumor of the brain



* A Tumor of the Pituitary Gland



* Compulsive, excessive fluid intake



* Bleeding inside the skull



* Family history of Diabetes Insipidus



* Head Injury that may cause damage to the Pituitary Gland



* Kidney Disease



* Surgery on the Pituitary Gland sometimes causes a temporary type that lasts about 14 days



If you have the following signs or symptoms, you should ask your physician to do further testing for possible Diabetes Insipidus:



* Dry skin, especially the hands.



* Constipation



* Passing large amounts of extremely clear urine



* Terrible thirst especially for cold or iced fluids



What is the treatment?



The treatment depends more on what appears to be causing the problem. This is one place where the allopathic medical community agrees with the naturopathic medical community. Remove the cause and you treat the disease. This is the underlying theme to most naturopathic treatments, where as the allopathic community is more a symptom treatment practice.



Depending on what may be causing the problem a person may be subjected to any or all of the following tests and or treatments:



- Complete medical history and exam
- Basic Blood and Urine tests
- Computerized Tomography scan (CT Scan)
- Daily weights to determine fluid loss or gain
- Dehydration test
- Intake and output measurements (I and O)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Surgery. If a tumor is involved you may need brain surgery to remove it.



Disclaimer:



This report should in no way be considered medical advice. The suggestions and/or techniques described in this report are for informational purposes only. If you are ill or injured you should see your primary healthcare professional immediately



Contact the following groups for more information:



American Diabetes Association
1701 North Beauregard Street
Alexandria, VA 22311
Phone: 1-800-342-2383
Web Address: http://www.diabetes.org



* National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
1 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3560
Phone: 1-800-860-8747
Web Address: http://www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov



Annually the American Diabetes Association has a fundraiser bicycle ride called the "Tour De Cure" I often ride in this event which raises money to help with research to combat diabetes. Be sure to check out my website for details on helping the ADA to find a cure.

What Are The Causes Of Diabetic Insipidus And Effective Treatment For The Disease

Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a rare condition that occurs when the kidneys are unable to conserve water as they perform their function of filtering blood. It is often confused with diabetes mellitus because a symptom that both diseases have in common is frequent and excessive urination.



The word diabetes comes from the Greek word for siphon. A physician in ancient Greece coined the disease diabetes because sufferers passed water like a siphon.



The addition of insipidus and mellitus is to differentiate the concentration of the water passed by the person. Insipidus comes from the latin for no flavor. Urine passed by someone suffering from DI is highly diluted. Mellitus is also derived from the latin for honey and consequently diabetes mellitus (DM) is noted for passing urine that is sweet and concentrated.



There are four types of DI. These are :



Neurogenic diabetes insipidus - also called central diabetes insipidus.



This is caused when the anti-diuretic hormone or vasopressin produced by the hypothalamus and stored in the pituitary gland is not produced in sufficient quantity. Vasopressin causes the kidneys to preserve water but excrete the same amount of waste products.



Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) also known as vasopressin resistance because the kidneys are unaffected by the secretion of vasopressin.



NDI is believed to by genetically passed on or caused by kidney diseases or as a side-effect of using drugs like lithium for other illnesses.



The third type is called gestagenic and occurs during pregnancy.



The fourth type is known as dipsogenic DI and is characterized by excessive fluid consumption. The excess fluids cause vasopressin to be supressed.



The primary symptoms of diabetes insipidus are excessive urination (polyuria) and excessive thirst (polydipsia). Symptoms for diabetes insipidus will be markedly abrupt. The sufferer will want to drink vast quantities of water. They will have difficulty sleeping as they will want to go to the toilet all the time. In the case of children there will be frequent bed wetting.



Diabetes insipidus testing involves a fluid deprivation test. As the name suggests the patient avoids drinking any fluids for a prescribed time period. The urine is then analyzed to determine it's concentration and composition.



Diabetes insipidus treatment involves having a good and plentiful source of fluid. In the case of neurogenic DI the drug desmopressin is taken to control the frequent thirst and urination.



There is no natural cure for diabetes insipidus but it doesn't pose any serious complications to the health if the person can take on fluids whenever they feel thirsty. It is confused with diabetes mellitus because the symptoms are similar but testing will determine which disease the person may be afflicted with.

What Are The Causes Of Diabetic Insipidus And Effective Treatment For The Disease

Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a rare condition that occurs when the kidneys are unable to conserve water as they perform their function of filtering blood. It is often confused with diabetes mellitus because a symptom that both diseases have in common is frequent and excessive urination.



The word diabetes comes from the Greek word for siphon. A physician in ancient Greece coined the disease diabetes because sufferers passed water like a siphon.



The addition of insipidus and mellitus is to differentiate the concentration of the water passed by the person. Insipidus comes from the latin for no flavor. Urine passed by someone suffering from DI is highly diluted. Mellitus is also derived from the latin for honey and consequently diabetes mellitus (DM) is noted for passing urine that is sweet and concentrated.



There are four types of DI. These are :



Neurogenic diabetes insipidus - also called central diabetes insipidus.



This is caused when the anti-diuretic hormone or vasopressin produced by the hypothalamus and stored in the pituitary gland is not produced in sufficient quantity. Vasopressin causes the kidneys to preserve water but excrete the same amount of waste products.



Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) also known as vasopressin resistance because the kidneys are unaffected by the secretion of vasopressin.



NDI is believed to by genetically passed on or caused by kidney diseases or as a side-effect of using drugs like lithium for other illnesses.



The third type is called gestagenic and occurs during pregnancy.



The fourth type is known as dipsogenic DI and is characterized by excessive fluid consumption. The excess fluids cause vasopressin to be supressed.



The primary symptoms of diabetes insipidus are excessive urination (polyuria) and excessive thirst (polydipsia). Symptoms for diabetes insipidus will be markedly abrupt. The sufferer will want to drink vast quantities of water. They will have difficulty sleeping as they will want to go to the toilet all the time. In the case of children there will be frequent bed wetting.



Diabetes insipidus testing involves a fluid deprivation test. As the name suggests the patient avoids drinking any fluids for a prescribed time period. The urine is then analyzed to determine it's concentration and composition.



Diabetes insipidus treatment involves having a good and plentiful source of fluid. In the case of neurogenic DI the drug desmopressin is taken to control the frequent thirst and urination.



There is no natural cure for diabetes insipidus but it doesn't pose any serious complications to the health if the person can take on fluids whenever they feel thirsty. It is confused with diabetes mellitus because the symptoms are similar but testing will determine which disease the person may be afflicted with.