Diabetes insipidus : Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Diabetes insipidus is a condition in which the kidneys are u
ble to conserve water.
ADH is a hormone produced in a region of the brain called the hypothalamus. It is then stored and released from the pituitary gland, a small gland at the base of the brain.
DI caused by a lack of ADH is called central diabetes insipidus. When DI is caused by a failure of the kidneys to respond to ADH, the condition is called nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.
Central diabetes insipidus can be caused by damage to the hypothalamus or pituitary gland as a result of:
- Head injury
- Infection
- Surgery
- Tumor
There is also a form of central diabetes insipidus that runs in families.
Nephrogenic DI involves a defect in the parts of the kidneys that reabsorb water back into the bloodstream. It occurs less often than central DI. Nephrogenic DI may occur as an inherited disorder in which male children receive the abnormal gene that causes the disease from their mothers.
Nephrogenic DI may also be caused by:
- Certain drugs (such as lithium, amphotericin B, and demeclocycline)
- High levels of calcium in the body (hypercalcemia)
- Kidney disease (such as polycystic kidney disease)
References
Goldman L, Ausiello D. Goldman: Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 241, 242.
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