What is Diabetes Insipidus vs. Diabetes Mellitus?
Diabetes mellitus is a condition caused by a lack of insulin or resistance to it, but what is diabetes insipidus? You may think, since they have a similar name, that diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus are related, but that could not be further from the truth.
Diabetes insipidus (or DI) is a very rare disorder which has many of the common symptoms associated with diabetes mellitus, but the two conditions are totally unrelated. Occasionally, DI is called “water diabetes” to make a distinction between it and the more prevalent diabetes mellitus, otherwise known as “sugar diabetes.”
What is Diabetes Insipidus Characterized By?
The primary characteristic of DI is urinating often. However, as opposed to other forms of diabetes, the urine is not loaded with glucose but instead is heavily diluted, it’s mostly water.
The repeated urination results in the need to drink a lot more. This interferes with sleep due to the necessity to get up during the night to use the bathroom, and may on occasion bring about involuntary urination while asleep (bedwetting).
Youngsters with this condition might be cranky or lethargic and may even have fever, diarrhea or vomiting
What is Diabetes Insipidus’ 4 Types?
Diabetes Insipidus is categorized into 4 different types, each one with different treatments and causes. These 4 forms of DI are:
Neurogenic (or Central): This is the most widespread form of DI and is the result of a shortage of vasopressin, the hormone which usually acts on the kidneys to lessen urine production. This is typically a result of damage to the rear of your pituitary gland which is where vasopressin is created. The pituitary gland could be damaged by a number of illnesses as well as tumors, bacterial infections, head trauma along with hereditary defects.
Neurogenic is normally incurable although the symptoms can be treated effectively by using different medicines, such as a type of vasopressin called desmopressin or simply DDAVP.
Gestagenic (or Gestational): Sometimes, a shortage of vasopressin might occur while pregnant in the event the pituitary gland is marginally harmed or the placenta kills the hormone too quickly. This is likewise treatable with DDAVP. However, DI generally vanishes four to six weeks following childbirth. Sometimes, though, it reoccurs with future pregnancies.
Nephrogenic: The 3rd variety is attributable to a failure of your kidneys to react to normal quantities of vasopressin. This might result from using various drugs as well as kidney disorders, including genetic defects. It can’t be helped by DDAVP and, dependent upon the cause, it might or might not be curable. The hereditary form, for instance, can’t be cured. Nevertheless, treatment options exist which could alleviate some of the symptoms.
Dipsogenic: The 4th type happens when vasopressin is actually suppressed by increased consumption of liquids, and is usually attributable to a problem in the portion of the brain that controls thirst. This variety is hard to distinguish from neurogenic especially considering that both conditions could result from similar brain disorders. Although dipsogenic can’t be treated at this time, its most bothersome symptom, urinating at night, can be treated by taking modest dosages of DDAVP at nighttime.
What is Diabetes Insipidus’ Main Complication?
There exists a very serious danger of severe dehydration which could result in significant brain damage or perhaps even death. So far as anyone knows, neurogenic or nephrogenic DI will not lead to any other health issues so long as there isn’t any disruption in replacing loss fluids.
Dipsogenic DI doesn’t have the danger of dehydration however it might cause severe overhydration (water intoxication) in the event that DDAVP or some other medications like thiazide diuretics are used. Overhydration can cause digestion problems, changes in behavior, seizures, brain damage or even coma.
To answer the question “what is diabetes insipidus,” it is a condition that has some of the same symptoms as diabetes mellitus but these diseases are completely unrelated in terms of causative factors and treatment.