Polyuria is a condition that induces an excess quantity of urine to be produced. While the daily urine production for an adult can range from 1-2 litres, those affected by polyuria can pass up to 3 litres of urine in a day.
Polydipsia
is a condition where the patient suffers from uncontrollable thirst and is
commonly associated with polyuria. The excess intake of fluids caused by
Polydipsia results in a production of an abnormal quantity of urine.
The
presence of polyuria and polydipsia are common indicators of one of two types
of diabetic conditions. One such type is called diabetes mellitus, also known
as diabetes type-1 and type-2, being the more common forms of diabetes. Another
possibility points to diabetes insipidus, a rare form of diabetes that is not
related to the body’s insulin levels, but rather the kidneys instead.
The two
types differ significantly as diabetes mellitus types 1 and 2 are glycemic in
origin, while diabetes insipidus is characterised as a urological disorder.
However diabetes insipidus is equally harmful as the large amounts of urine
being passed usually wouldn’t be replaced by the appropriate amount of water
which leads to severe dehydration in the patients.
An easy way to check for the possibility of polyuria is to take note of your liquid intake throughout the day in addition to the frequency at which you need to urinate.
The effects of polyuria in diabetes mellitus significantly differs from that of diabetes insipidus. If diagnosed with the former, the condition causes the kidneys to draw in more water from the body to remove the heightened blood sugar levels from the body immediately. Therefore the urine of a patient with diabetes mellitus will have a higher concentration of glucose, causing the patient to be hyperglycemic.
Moreover polyuria in diabetes insipidus patients is caused by either an antidiuretic hormone (central diabetes insipidus) or the kidney’s response to an antidiuretic hormone (nephorgenic diabetes insipidus). Unlike the former, the urine of a patient with diabetes insipidus will contain no excess glucose, nor will have hyperglycemia.
Understanding the conditions of both types of diabetic conditions via polyuria is important as those with diabetes mellitus have a constantly elevated amount of blood sugar which is detrimental to one’s health. However, diabetes insipidus differs in that the patients will be unaffected so long as they keep constantly replenishing their liquid intake to not become dehydrated.
Regardless
of the type of diabetes, it is essential to seek professional medical help as
soon as possible should you suspect you might have polyuria and/or polydipsia.
The advice in this article is for informative purposes and should not be taken
as medical advice in any way whatsoever.