Sodium is the principal positive ion found in your body fluids. A small amount of sodium is located inside your cells, but it is mostly confined to your extracellular fluids. Along with potassium and chloride, sodium is an important electrolyte...
Diabetes insipidus is entirely different from diabetes mellitus, or what most people refer to simply as "diabetes." Diabetes insipidus is marked by the frequent production of large amounts of urine, which is typically clear and very dilute....
Diabetes insipidus, or DI, is a condition characterized by excessive urination and extreme thirst. It is unrelated to diabetes mellitus, which is a disorder of glucose metabolism. DI is usually caused by insufficient production of a pituitary...
Diabetes insipidus is a disease that results from the body's inability to directly reabsorb water in the kidneys. A person with diabetes insipidus makes large volumes of urine and is often dehydrated and thirsty as a result. Electrolyte imbalance...
DDAVP is the manufactured form of the ADH hormone which you might take if you have central diabetes insipidus. If you have this disorder, not having enough ADH will make you very thirsty and you can crave ice water. Your craving may even seem to...
Sodium plays a vital role in maintaining the body's functioning. Sodium helps maintain blood pressure, supports the nerves and muscles and regulates fluid balance within the body. When sodium levels drop, excess water enters the cells causing them...
Sodium is an important mineral found in abundance outside the cell and helps regulate blood volume and pressure. Think of it as a "water magnet." For example, an increase in blood sodium concentration results in the shifting of water into the...
Diabetes is normally considered a disease of glucose or sugar metabolism; the pancreas slows or stops production of insulin or the body cells become resistant to insulin's effects. Even gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy but is...
Central diabetes insipidus is a condition that occurs when the body does not produce enough antidiuretic hormone or vasopressin. Without vasopressin the body begins excreting large amounts of water. Patients will manifest increased thirst and...
The nerves and muscles need sodium to work normally. Sodium also helps maintain water balance and blood pressure in the body. Normally, there is more sodium in the bloodstream and less inside the cells. When the concentration of sodium in the...
Alcohol consumption affects all your body's systems. Because alcohol enters your bloodstream, it is carried to every organ and cell. Alcohol use causes imbalances of electrolytes, the electrically conductive ions in body fluids, which affects...
Drinking water on a daily basis is essential to proper body functioning. Therefore when people experience prolonged and excessive thirst, it can be a sign of illness. There are several diseases in which excessive thirst is a common symptom....
Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a term used to describe physical damage to your brain which results in temporary or permanent impairment in neurological function. Approximately 1.4 million people in the United States experience significant...
Cancer is the abnormal growth of cells and tissues; when it occurs in the lungs, it interferes with the exchange of gases in the lungs. Lung cancer may be associated with paraneoplastic syndromes, a group of disorders that occur in relation to the...
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the tissue covering of the brain and the spinal cord. Bacteria and viruses are the most common causes of meningitis in children, although fungi can cause it in children with a weakened immune system....
Diabetes insipidus can strike people of all ages. In toddlers, it can occur when the body doesn't properly produce, store or release the antidiuretic hormone, or ADH. It can also occur when the kidneys fail to respond properly to ADH. If you...
Lung cancer is the abnormal growth of tissue in the lungs. When cancer originates in the lungs, it can spread to other organs of the body; the spread of lung cancer to the adrenal glands, for example, may result in electrolyte disturbances....
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells that are able to invade neighboring tissues. The cells divide over and over, forming a tumor. Cancers can develop anywhere in your body, and many of them can metastasize, or spread. They can be rapid- or...
Your body digests wine and other forms of alcohol quickly after they enter your digestive tract. While some of it can pass through your stomach, most of it is transported to your liver, where a system of enzymes called the "alcohol dehydrogenase...
Diabetes Insipidus (DI) is a failure of the kidneys to conserve water along with the production of copious amounts of dilute (insipid) urine, leading to dehydration and a persistent cycle of thirst, water drinking and frequent urination. This is...
The average child should drink from six to eight 8-oz. cups of water per day, according to FamilyDoctor.org. If your child is very active, he may drink more because of the loss of fluids through sweat and exercise. If your child begins to display...
Diabetes insipidus is not related to other types of diabetes, which are disorders of blood sugar and insulin regulation in the body. Instead, diabetes insipidus is characterized by a brain deficiency or disorder that causes afflicted individuals...
The bladder is a balloon-shaped organ that is responsible for the storage and release of urine. The bladder is a muscle that expands as it fills with urine and contracts to force the urine out. There are several types of bladder control problems,...
Alcoholism is a complex disorder that arises from both genetic factors and environmental influences. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a person's genes account for about 50 to 60 percent of the risk of becoming...
The urinary system consists of nerves, muscles, two kidneys, the bladder, tubes called ureters that carry urine to the bladder from the kidneys and the urethra that carries urine out of the body. Disorders of the urinary system can affect any or...
Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a medical condition that causes an individual to experience extreme thirst and produce large amounts of urine. Although the name is similar, DI is not related to the medical condition that involves difficulty regulating...
Potassium is the most abundant positively charged ion found in cell. Adequate levels of blood potassium are needed for maintaining proper functioning of the heart, muscles and nerves. The kidneys play a major role in the regulation of blood...
Excessive thirst in children may be caused by many conditions and diseases. Some, such as dehydration due to the stomach flu, are fairly easily remedied. Others, caused by more serious conditions, such as diabetes insipidus and diabetes mellitus...
Renal failure, also known as kidney failure, is the major reason for electrolyte imbalance. Sodium, the most abundant electrolyte in the body, affects how much urine the kidneys produce and plays a role in the transmission of nerve impulses. Too...
Hear the 3 main marks of adult ADHD, distractibility, impulsivity and hyperactivity, explained in detail. Learn how to live with adult ADHD in this free video.