Diabetes is of two types, out of which diabetes mellitus is the most common one. In this condition, the human body fails to transform blood glucose into glycogen, which is stored in the muscle and hepatic cells. It is straightforward to diagnose diabetes mellitus because a simple blood test can quickly determine if the glucose level is too much. Sometimes, you will show signs of diabetes, like excessive urination, dehydration, too much thirst that can’t be quenched, and more, but there will be no amount of glucose in the blood and urine. This means you have another type of diabetes, which brings us to the point of understanding the diagnosis of diabetes insipidus.
What causes diabetes insipidus?
Your kidney is meant to handle the entire osmoregulation process by filtering the blood and drawing out the excess water that your body doesn’t need. However, sometimes, due to excess sweating, your body might need a quick replenishment of the fluid which it will get from the kidneys. Whenever your body needs to retain more water, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland will immediately increase the vasopressin levels. It will send a signal to the kidneys, according to which it will retain water through the reabsorption process.
However, if the pituitary gland fails to release an adequate amount of vasopressin or the ADH into the bloodstream, the kidneys won’t be able to retain the water, even if it requires the fluid. Post this, no matter how much water you drink, the body will fail to retain it, causing severe dehydration. Apart from this, diabetes insipidus also causes frequent urination, which can cause further problems in terms of renal failure.
How is the diagnosis of diabetes insipidus carried on?
There are several ways to diagnose diabetes insipidus, which are discussed below.
Water deprivation examination
In this case, you won’t be allowed to drink or eat for at least a couple of hours. Since your body will be deprived of water, the pituitary gland releases more ADH and tells the kidneys to retain more water. As a result, the urine will be concentrated, and you won’t even have the urge to pee for a long time.
On the other hand, if your body does not have enough ADH levels, this type of differential diagnosis of diabetes insipidus will help you understand if you are suffering from the disease. Due to water deprivation, your body will need the fluid, but since vasopressin will be less in quantity, the kidneys will continue to absorb more water from your blood. Therefore, you will have the urge to urinate almost after every 15 to 20 minutes.
MRI examination
Another type of diagnosis of diabetes insipidus is through the MRI examination. Here, the reports will describe the condition of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, nearby arteries, and the renal system. If there is any blockage inside or other issues, all this will be caught on the screen. Therefore, it will help the doctors analyse what kind of treatment will be best to reverse your health condition.
Vasopressin examination
If you are worried about how to test for diabetes insipidus in dogs, cats, and humans more definitively, do not worry because most doctors prescribe the vasopressin examination. Here, the blood will be drawn, and the level of serum ADH will be checked after that. If it is lower than the normal range, the organism under test is suffering from diabetes insipidus.
What happens once the diagnosis of diabetes insipidus is completed?
Once the differential diagnosis of diabetes insipidus is completed, the doctor will infer the results and check whether you are at a higher risk or not. In mild cases, professionals start to decide which type of diabetes insipidus has affected you. However, if the situation is much worse, doctors will suggest further investigation to decide whether any fatal health condition is thriving.
After the diagnosis is completed, the following are the probable events that can take place:
- The doctor will start understanding what type of diabetes insipidus you have. There are four classifications- central, nephrological, gestational, and dysphonic.
- Once done, he will decide whether direct treatments need to be started or further investigation is required to understand if you have any other health problems.
- iii. If there is any cancer or other type of problem, separate treatments will be started.
- In other cases, like inflammations, medicines will be given.
Conclusion
The diagnosis of diabetes insipidus is very helpful, especially at the early stages, because it will give the doctors enough opportunity to ensure that the treatment is perfect and there is no other impact on the body. For example, this disease can sometimes lead to chronic renal problems or failure. Once the diagnosis is made, it will be the responsibility of the professional to suggest which treatment and medicines will be required.