Excessive thirst and polyuria combined with excessive sodium in the blood can be signs of a serious health problem. All three conditions can be tell-tale symptoms of chronic diseases: Visit your doctor at the first sign of any of them. Three diseases, Conn's syndrome, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and central diabetes insipidus, all have symptoms of thirst, polyuria and excessive blood sodium.
Excessive Thirst, Polyuria and High Blood Sodium
Excessive thirst coupled with polyuria and high blood sodium usually indicates that something is wrong. Polyuria is the production or passage of large amounts of urine. It is a fairly common symptom, often noticed when you must get up at night to urinate. When coupled with excessive thirst and high blood sodium, it usually indicates your body is trying to get rid of sodium in the blood. The high sodium can also lead to thirst, and the combination of the three can signal a serious health problem.
Conn's Syndrome
Conn's syndrome, or hyperaldosteronism, is a disease in which the adrenal glands produce excess aldosterone. According to the University of Southern California, in most patients Conn's syndrome is caused by a small tumor, but in others a condition called adrenal hyperplasia can cause Conn's syndrome. This overproduction can lead to high blood pressure, low blood potassium levels and retained salt in the body. Conn's syndrome is sometimes hard to diagnose because many of the symptoms overlap with more common diseases. While high blood pressure is often the only symptom, high levels of salt in the blood plus increased thirst and polyuria also may be be signs.
Central Diabetes Insipidus
Central diabetes insipidus is a lack of an antidiuretic hormone that causes excessive production of urine. This disease is often caused by brain tumor, brain injury, brain surgery or some other disease. The usual symptoms are excessive thirst and polyuria. Blood tests in patients with this condition often show abnormal levels of many electrolytes, including high sodium.
Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus
According to Natural Standard Research, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus is a rare disorder caused by polyuria produced by the nephrons in the kidneys. The disease can be inherited, but usually is acquired in a different way. Drugs, severe dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance can lead to the condition. The electrolyte imbalance is often elevated sodium levels in the blood.
Diagnosis and Treatment
It is sometimes hard to initially diagnose the disease because the symptoms of thirst, polyuria and high blood sodium can encompass several diseases. Once diagnosed, Conn's syndrome can be treated with drugs or surgery, and central diabetes insipidus is usually treated with and sometimes controlled by drugs. Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus has no known cure, and is usually treated by preventing dehydration, with advice to drink plenty of fluids.
Member Comments