Case Study, Definition and Symptoms
A three-year-old male won 't stop drinking water and juice. He urinates more than he used to, his urine is dilute, and he becomes hysterical when fluids are withheld. What 's going on here? There are several possibilities, and doctors would need to run tests to pinpoint the exact cause, but these symptoms sound like the three-year old could have diabetes insipidus, which is a condition that causes excessive thirst and increased urination. Sometimes you may hear doctors refer to diabetes insipidus as DI.
While part of its name is 'diabetes, ' it isn 't the type of diabetes you 're probably thinking about. And while some of the symptoms are similar, its causes are quite different, so when you hear 'diabetes …show more content…
Your kidneys regulate the fluid in your bloodstream with the direction of a hormone called the anti-diuretic hormone, or ADH for short. If you have extra fluid, it goes into the bladder and then is removed through the body when you urinate. ADH is made in a part of your brain called the hypothalamus, and then is stored and released by the pituitary gland. When you don 't have enough fluid in your body, ADH is released and your kidneys keep the extra fluid instead of releasing it into your bladder. In central diabetes insipidus, the pituitary or hypothalamus is damaged, resulting in issues with the release and/or production of ADH. The pituitary and/or hypothalamus can be damaged due to tumors, head injuries, brain lesions, surgeries, or inherited …show more content…
The word 'nephros ' means kidney in Greek, so this type of diabetes insipidus results from issues with the kidneys, specifically the tubules. The tubules are the part of the kidney that allows fluid to be released or absorbed, and damage to the tubules prevents the kidneys from doing what the ADH tells them to do. The damage can be genetic, or due to drugs like antiviral medication or lithium.
So, based on the various causes of diabetes insipidus, there are a few possibilities for our three-year old. Doctors need to confirm that it is diabetes insipidus, so they may perform a water deprivation test, which, like the name implies, is a test that withholds water. This is done while measuring ADH levels and observing urine output and how dilute the urine appears. Doctors will likely order an MRI and/or a CT scan to look at the brain to see if damage to the hypothalamus or pituitary has occurred. Finally, if it is believed to be genetic, doctors will perform genetic
A three-year-old male won 't stop drinking water and juice. He urinates more than he used to, his urine is dilute, and he becomes hysterical when fluids are withheld. What 's going on here? There are several possibilities, and doctors would need to run tests to pinpoint the exact cause, but these symptoms sound like the three-year old could have diabetes insipidus, which is a condition that causes excessive thirst and increased urination. Sometimes you may hear doctors refer to diabetes insipidus as DI.
While part of its name is 'diabetes, ' it isn 't the type of diabetes you 're probably thinking about. And while some of the symptoms are similar, its causes are quite different, so when you hear 'diabetes …show more content…
Your kidneys regulate the fluid in your bloodstream with the direction of a hormone called the anti-diuretic hormone, or ADH for short. If you have extra fluid, it goes into the bladder and then is removed through the body when you urinate. ADH is made in a part of your brain called the hypothalamus, and then is stored and released by the pituitary gland. When you don 't have enough fluid in your body, ADH is released and your kidneys keep the extra fluid instead of releasing it into your bladder. In central diabetes insipidus, the pituitary or hypothalamus is damaged, resulting in issues with the release and/or production of ADH. The pituitary and/or hypothalamus can be damaged due to tumors, head injuries, brain lesions, surgeries, or inherited …show more content…
The word 'nephros ' means kidney in Greek, so this type of diabetes insipidus results from issues with the kidneys, specifically the tubules. The tubules are the part of the kidney that allows fluid to be released or absorbed, and damage to the tubules prevents the kidneys from doing what the ADH tells them to do. The damage can be genetic, or due to drugs like antiviral medication or lithium.
So, based on the various causes of diabetes insipidus, there are a few possibilities for our three-year old. Doctors need to confirm that it is diabetes insipidus, so they may perform a water deprivation test, which, like the name implies, is a test that withholds water. This is done while measuring ADH levels and observing urine output and how dilute the urine appears. Doctors will likely order an MRI and/or a CT scan to look at the brain to see if damage to the hypothalamus or pituitary has occurred. Finally, if it is believed to be genetic, doctors will perform genetic