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Diabetes Insipidus
Diabetes insipidus is a rare disease in which the kidneys stop filtering urine normally. The different types include central, nephrogenic, dipsogenic, and gestational. Common symptoms include excessive urination and increased thirst. This disease should not be confused with diabetes mellitus, which results from insulin deficiency or resistance, leading to high blood glucose.
Diabetes insipidus is a medical condition that occurs when the kidneys stop filtering urine normally. This results in a person urinating large volumes of fluid and always being thirsty. Diabetes insipidus is a rare disease.
Diabetes insipidus should not be confused with diabetes mellitus, which results from insulin deficiency or resistance, leading to high blood glucose. These two conditions are unrelated, although they can have similar signs and symptoms, like excessive thirst and excessive urination.
(Click Symptoms of Diabetes for more information.)
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is far more common than diabetes insipidus and receives more news coverage. DM has two forms, referred to as type 1 diabetes (formerly called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, or IDDM) and type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, or NIDDM). Diabetes insipidus is a different form of illness altogether.
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD