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Diabetes insipidus - central

Definition:
A condition marked by extreme thirst and excessive urine output caused by a deficiency of a hormone (vasopressin) that normally would limit the amount of urine made. See also diabetes insipidus - nephrogenic.

Alternative Names:
Central diabetes insipidus

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Central diabetes insipidus is a rare condition caused by damage to the hypothalamus or pituitary gland in the brain. Damage may be related to surgery, infection, inflammation, tumor, or injury to the head. Sometimes the cause remains unknown. Very rarely, diabetes insipidus can be caused by a genetic defect.

Normally, the hypothalamus in the brain makes vasopressin, a hormone that causes the kidneys to conserve water by making concentrated urine. In diabetes insipidus, there is a lack of vasopressin. Without vasopressin, the kidneys fail to reabsorb excess filtered water. This results in a rapid loss of water from the body in the form of dilute urine.

A person with diabetes insipidus drinks large quantities of water, driven by extreme thirst, to compensate for the water loss.



Review Date: 11/3/2002
Reviewed By: Todd T. Brown, M.D., Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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