Diabetes insipidus is a rare disease. Production of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) is disturbed in diabetes insipidus patients. Kidneys cannot retain water. Symptoms include excessive amount of urine, thirst, and drinking a lot of water or fluid. Laboratory exam can find urine is less dense and hypotonic (less salty). In some special cases, if patients have no access to water, they can rapidly develop severe dehydration and leads to nervous system symptoms due to brain cell dehydration. Synthetic DDAVP is the best anti-diuretic drug. With subcutaneous injection or intranasal administration, the anti-diuretic efficacy lasts for 12 to 24 hours in most patients.
How is Diabetes insipidus treated in practice?