Overview

Diabetes insipidus is a rare but treatable condition in which your body produces too much urine (pee) and isn’t able to properly retain water. Diabetes insipidus can be chronic (life-long) or temporary and mild or severe depending on the cause.

Diabetes insipidus is mostly caused by an issue with a hormone called antidiuretic hormone (ADH, or vasopressin) — either your body doesn’t make enough of ADH or your kidneys don’t use it properly.

People with diabetes insipidus pee large volumes of urine several times a day and drink large amounts of water because they feel constantly thirsty. If you have diabetes insipidus and don’t drink enough fluid to replace water loss through urine, you can become dehydrated, which is dangerous to your health.

Because of this, diabetes insipidus is a serious condition that requires medical treatment.

What is the antidiuretic hormone (ADH, or vasopressin)?

Antidiuretic hormone (ADH, or vasopressin) is a hormone that your hypothalamus makes and your pituitary gland stores and releases.

Hormones are chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, skin, muscles and other tissues. These signals tell your body what to do and when to do it.

Your hypothalamus is the part of your brain that controls your autonomic nervous system and the activity of your pituitary gland. It makes ADH and then sends it to your pituitary gland for storage and release.

Your pituitary gland is a small gland located at the base of your brain below your hypothalamus. It’s a part of your endocrine system and is in charge of making, storing and releasing many different important hormones.

ADH helps regulate the water balance in your body by controlling the amount of water your kidneys reabsorb while they’re filtering waste out of your blood. Your body normally produces and releases more ADH when you’re dehydrated or losing blood pressure. The increase in ADH tells your kidneys to hold onto more water instead of releasing it in your pee (urine).

In most cases of diabetes insipidus, your hypothalamus isn’t making enough ADH, your pituitary gland isn’t releasing enough ADH or your kidneys aren’t properly using ADH. This causes frequent and excessive water loss through your urine.

As an example, if a person without diabetes insipidus were in the desert with no access to water, their body would produce more ADH and retain as much water as possible. A person with diabetes insipidus would continue to urinate water and would quickly become dehydrated.

What is the difference between diabetes insipidus and diabetes mellitus?

Diabetes insipidus and diabetes mellitus are two distinct conditions with different causes and treatments. They share the name “diabetes” because they both cause increased thirst and frequent urination. “Diabetes” comes from the Greek word “diabainein,” which means “go through” — much like the liquids that quickly go through your body in these conditions.

Diabetes mellitus, most commonly known as Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes, happens when your pancreas doesn’t make any or enough insulin or your body doesn’t use the insulin it makes properly. Your body needs insulin to transform the food you eat into energy.

If your body doesn’t have insulin to transform glucose into energy, it starts breaking down fat and muscle for energy instead, which produces a substance called ketones. Too many ketones can turn your blood acidic, so your body tries to get rid of them through your urine. Because of this, symptoms of diabetes often include extreme thirst and frequent urination.

Diabetes insipidus happens when your body doesn’t make enough antidiuretic hormone (ADH) or your kidneys don’t use it properly. Your body needs ADH to retain appropriate amounts of water. Without ADH, your body loses water through urine.

Diabetes mellitus is much more common than diabetes insipidus.

What are the types of diabetes insipidus?

There are four types of diabetes insipidus, including:

  • Central diabetes insipidus: This is the most common type of diabetes insipidus. It happens when your body doesn’t have enough antidiuretic hormone (ADH, or vasopressin). Your hypothalamus produces ADH, but your pituitary gland stores and releases it. You can get central diabetes insipidus if your pituitary gland or hypothalamus is damaged.
  • Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus: This type of diabetes insipidus happens when your pituitary gland releases enough ADH, but your kidneys don’t respond to it properly and can’t retain water.
  • Dipsogenic diabetes insipidus: In this type of diabetes insipidus, an issue with your hypothalamus unrelated to ADH production causes you to feel thirsty and drink more liquids. Because of this, you may need to pee often.
  • Gestational diabetes insipidus: This is a rare, temporary condition that can develop during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes insipidus happens occurs when your placenta, a temporary organ that provides nourishment to your baby, makes too much of an enzyme that breaks down your ADH. People who are pregnant with more than one baby are more likely to develop the condition because they have more placental tissue. Gestational diabetes insipidus usually goes away shortly after the pregnancy is over. It’s not to be confused with gestational diabetes, which is a type of diabetes mellitus that can develop during pregnancy in people who don’t already have diabetes mellitus. Gestational diabetes mellitus causes high blood sugar.

Who does diabetes insipidus affect?

People of all ages can develop diabetes insipidus. Gestational diabetes insipidus specifically affects people who are pregnant, though it’s rare.

How common is diabetes insipidus?

Diabetes insipidus is a rare condition. It affects about 1 in 25,000 people worldwide.

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Symptoms

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Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.
The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:
  • High blood pressure.
  • Diabetes.
  • Heart failure.
  • Some types of heart valve disease.
Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:
  • Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
  • Don't smoke or use tobacco.
  • Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
  • Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
  • Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
  • Maintain a healthy weight.
  • Reduce and manage stress.


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