Diabetes

What is Diabetes Insipidus? What are its causes, symptoms, prevention and treatment for diabetes insipidus?

Diabetes Insipidus is a rare disease caused by the failure of the kidneys to conserve water and stops filtering urine. Diabetes insipidus is not same as diabetes mellitus. This disease leads to excessive urination and thirst which is one common symptom between diabetes mellitus and insipidus. The fluid retention is managed by anti-diuretic hormone which is produced in the brain by hypothalamus as well as controlled by pituitary gland located at the bottom of the brain.

The extra fluid is removed through kidneys from bloodstream. This fluid is stored as urine in bladder. If the fluid regulation system is working properly, the kidneys make less urine when body is loosing water or at night when the metabolic rates are slow.

SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES INSIPIDUS
- Frequent urination.
- Colorless urine.
- Bed-wetting.
- Disruption is sleep.
- Dry skin and weakness.
- Fever.
- Vomiting.
- Diarrhea.

TYPES OF DIABETES INSIPIDUS
- Central Diabetes Insipidus : Head injury, infection, surgery and tumor can cause damage to the hypothalamus or pituitary gland that can cause central diabetes insipidus. It disrupts the storage and release of ADH.
- Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus : Kidneys do not respond to ADH. It can be caused due to some chronic disorders or some drugs.
- Dipsogenic Diabetes Insipidus : It is a rare form of diabetes insipidus and is caused when there is a defect or problem in the thirst mechanism. The thirst increases abnormally resulting in more urine output.
- Gestational Diabetes Insipidus : It occurs during pregnancy. It occurs when and enzyme made by the placenta destroys ADH in the mother.

DIAGNOSIS OF DIABETES INSIPIDUS
There is a possibility that diabetes mellitus can cause diabetes insipidus. Diagnosis includes:
- Physical examinations.
- Blood tests.
- Urinalysis is the physical and chemical examination of urine.
- Fluid deprivation test helps in determining whether diabetes insipidus is caused by excessive intake of fluid, defect in ADH production or defect in kidney’s response to ADH.

Complications may include dehydration, weakness, fatigue, low body temperature, kidney and brain damage, headaches.

Prevention includes drinking plenty of fluids, following a low salt diet, few medications may help. Treatment includes:
- Vasopressin can be taken to cure central diabetes insipidus.
- Stopping the medication can treat nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.
- Hereditary nephrogenic diabetes insipidus is treated with fluid intake to match urine output and drugs that lower urine output.

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Proper treatment of your feet if you have Diabetes – precautions to take – Part 3

In the previous post in this blog (Diabetes and feet care), I have been pointing out a series of steps that need to be taken if you have diabetes and are necessary for the proper protection of your feet. The previous series of steps are more important in terms of finding out if you have problems in your feet; further, there are also steps outlined in terms of the daily and regular care necessary for preventing something from happening. In this post, I will outline some of the precautions necessary for buying your shoes and other foot wear:
- When you are buying your shoes / sandals or other footwear, then make sure that there are no rough edges inside the footwear; these can cause irritation to your feet and lead to further problems.
- Avoid shoes or sandals that are open from the front, such as flip-flops and open sandals. These expose the toes to a lot of wear and tear and can cause injury.
- Always buy footwear that is comfortable and easy on the feet. Even if a piece of footwear looks fashionable, if you are diabetic, then you should look at comfort first and fashion later. Many people buy shoes that are a bit tight in the belief that the shoe will loosen up later – this is something that may or may not happen. Unless you know for sure that this will happen, avoid buying such footwear.
- Do not wear shoes or sandals that cause your toes to become constricted, such as those shiny pointy leather shoes that are pointed in the front. These can cause damage to the front part of your feet over a period of time.
- This may seem very obvious, but ladies really need to avoid these high heels that put a lot of strain on the ankle.
- The foot expands and contracts a bit during the day, and swells a bit during the day, being the biggest in the evening. That is the time when you should buy your footwear, because if your footwear is comfortable at this time, then it will be comfortable all through the day.

Proper treatment of your feet if you have Diabetes – precautions to take – Part 2

In the previous post (Diabetic and foot precautions), I had written about some of the checks that a person should do if they are suffering from diabetes in terms of ensuring that their feet remain healthy. For a person with diabetes, the high blood sugar means that there is some impact on the blood vessels as well as on the nervous system, both of which can cause problems to the feet. In this post, I will post some steps that a person should take to ensure that you reduce the probability of something bad happening to your feet:
- Make sure that you check your feet on a regular basis, preferably on a daily basis. You can use mirrors to see under your toes. If you find some instances of pain that remains, any instances of numbness or tingling, or redness, then make sure that you check with your doctor.
- Avoid your feet being exposed to too much hot or cold. Remember, when your nerves have got affected to some degree by diabetes, it can be harder to make out whether the water is too hot or too cold
- Avoid being barefoot
- When you are wearing your socks or stockings, dust your feet lightly with some powder (medicated powder); talk to your doctor
- Make sure that you cut your toenails straight, else you risk getting ingrown toenails.
- Make sure that you dry your feet well after a bath, or any other occasion when your feet get wet, including drying the portion between the toes (pat your feet with a towel)
- Be careful to avoid your feet getting too dry, since that will cause your feet to crack, and that is something that you want to avoid
- If you smoke, then you should stop. Smoking contributes to a reduction in the blood flow to the feet.
- Be careful about your choice of shoes. If you see shoes that have pointed ends, these can impact the blood pressure to the toe region of your feet. Wear shoes that give space to the toe region of your feet.
- It is preferable to wear shoes made of material that allows the movement of air, such as leather or suede or canvas. Plastic shoes do not allow the transfer of air and can impact your feet.
- If you live in a cold region, then wear socks to bed. You need to prevent hot or cold danger to your feet.