What is Polydipsia? Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Polydipsia

Polydipsia is a medical term meaning extreme thirst. It is a symptom that occurs due to some underlying medical reasons. It can be one of the first signs of certain diseases such as diabetes .

In this text; What polydipsia , what are the causes of excessive thirst, polydipsia, and what are the causes of polydipsia treatment-how you can find comprehensive answers to questions.

Polydipsia (polydipsia) is a medical term meaning extreme thirst. It is not a disease in itself, it usually occurs due to an underlying health problem.

Changes in urinary conditions are seen due to polydipsia. You pass out more urine and therefore feel more thirsty.

The occurrence of polydipsia is sometimes associated with physical causes. Some of those:

• Consuming salty foods
• Intense exercise
• spending a lot of time in the sun
• consuming less liquid

This situation, which is defined as the feeling of extreme thirst, is not mentioned much with physical reasons. The feeling of thirst that occurs as a result of these reasons is suppressed in a short time.

In some cases that cause polydipsia, you cannot reduce fluid cravings , no matter how much water you drink . You may feel thirsty for days, weeks or months.

The amount of fluid consumed per day is taken as a basis to support the definition of polydipsia . If a person drinks 6 liters or more of fluid per day, it stops and indicates polydipsia.The most common condition that accompanies excessive thirst is polyuria. Polyuria means producing a lot of urine. It is used when more than 2.5 liters of urine is produced in a day.

Another feature of polydipsia is that it is one of the 3 main symptoms of diabetes . The main symptoms of diabetes are:

• Polydipsis
• polyuria
• Polifaji

In diabetes, the level of sugar in the blood rises. The body needs more fluid to balance this situation and a feeling of thirst occurs.

The cause of polydipsia may be insufficient water intake after dehydration. If you sweat a lot or move a lot, you may need more fluids.

You may also experience extreme thirst if you consume certain beverages . Some of these drinks are:

• Coffee
• Green tea
• Tea
• Kola
• Soda

When you consume these drinks, you take some additional substances into your body along with the liquid. Thus, the rate of fluid in the body decreases. Your body will create a feeling of thirst to replace the lost fluid .

Apart from physical causes, there are dozens of different health conditions that can lead to polydipsia.

Health problems that are among the causes of polydipsia include:

 Diabetes (Diabetes) 

Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose (simple sugar) to enter the cell. Glucose entering the cell is converted into energy .

In diabetes, the patients’ body cannot produce insulin or use the insulin hormone effectively. Therefore, blood glucose levels rise.

High sugar level in the blood harms the body. In order to prevent this damage, sugar must be excreted through the kidneys. Glucose is mixed with the urine and is tried to be removed from the body.

In order for sugar to be excreted through urine, water must be excreted along with it. Thus, there is intense water loss from the body and a constant feeling of thirst occurs.

Symptoms of diabetes are:

• Polydipsia (excessive thirst)
• Polyuria (excessive urine production)
• Polyphagia (excessive appetite/hunger)
• blurred vision
• Tiredness
• unexplained weight loss

If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms at an intense level, you should seek help from a healthcare provider.

 Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)

Diabetic ketoacidosis is one of the most serious conditions that can occur in patients with diabetes . Glucose does not enter the cell for energy production, the body breaks down fats for energy production.

As a result of this process, a toxic substance called ketone is produced. Ketones build up in the blood over time and lower blood pH. Acidic blood can have fatal consequences.

Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs in people who have uncontrolled diabetes . It is one of the possible complications of diabetes.

Symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis include:

• feeling of extreme thirst
• Acetone odor on the breath
• Dry and shiny skin
• mental confusion
• difficulty concentrating
• difficulty breathing
• Nausea and vomiting
• Stomach ache
• clouding of consciousness
• Come on

People with these symptoms should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Diabetic ketoacidosis is an important disease that can threaten human life.

 Diabetes İnsipidus

Diabetes insipidus is a condition that resembles diabetes because of its name, but is unrelated to diabetes. It affects one in every 25,000 people.

It occurs due to problems with the hormone ADH, which controls the excretion of fluid from the kidneys . ADH hormone secretion is reduced or its function is impaired.

The hormone ADH manages one of the most important mechanisms that allow the body to retain fluid. Fluid excretion cannot be prevented due to ADH problems.

Diabetes insipidus patients excrete amounts ranging from 3 to 20 liters a day . Therefore, they have to take a lot of fluids.

Symptoms of diabetes insipidus include:

• extreme thirst
• excessive water intake
• Dryness of skin, lips and eyes
• Nausea
• Tiredness
• dizziness

If you want to learn more about Dibates insipidus disease, you can read the article we prepared earlier .

 Psychogenic Polydipsis 

Some people with psychiatric problems have a feeling of extreme thirst. This condition is called psychogenic polydipsia .

Some of the disorders that lead to the formation of psychogenic polydipsia are:

• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar disorder
• Depression
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Various psychoses

People with psychogenic polydipsia are very thirsty and drink a lot of water. Therefore, they may experience water poisoning.

How psychogenic polydipsia occurs is still unknown. Symptoms can be reduced with various drug treatments . Medications such as antidepressants or anxiolytics can be used.

 Other Causes 

We briefly shared with you the main causes of polydipsia. Other than these reasons, some health conditions can also lead to the formation of polydipsia .

Other causes of polydipsia include:

• low fluid intake
• Intense sweating
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• diuretics
• some drugs
• Intense exercise

If you experience prolonged polydipsia, you should visit a doctor and seek professional help.

Polydipsia means excessive thirst. These patients experience extreme thirst and this may be long-lasting.

Other common symptoms of polydipsia include:

• Abnormal production of urine (5 liters or more per day)
• Constant feeling of dryness in the mouth

Other symptoms that may occur due to polydipsia depend on the underlying disease. The following symptoms may occur due to underlying health problems :

• frequent urination
• increase in urinary excretion
• Fatigue and weakness
• Nausea and vomiting
• headache or dizziness
• energy loss
• mental confusion
• focusing problems
• Loss of consciousness

Drinking too much water can sometimes lead to a condition called water intoxication . It can occur in people who experience excessive thirst and drink excessively.

Too much water intake can reduce the amount of sodium in the blood and cause a dangerous condition called hyponatremia . Water poisoning can cause the following symptoms: Headache dizziness orientation problems muscle cramps unexplained seizures

If you are experiencing excessive thirst for no known reason and you cannot prevent it, you should see a doctor. There may be an underlying diabetes disease .

Your doctor will ask you some questions and ask you to do some things. He or she will ask you to measure how much fluid you drink and how much urine you expel in a day.

You can determine how much liquid you consume with the help of liter water containers. You must calculate by refilling the empty container each time.

You should also record other liquids you consume during the day. You should also record the amount of juice, soda, coffee or tea . You should use a special collection cup to measure urine output.

Your doctor will ask you some additional questions. Some of these are those:

• How long have you been experiencing your symptoms?
• How much fluid are you taking?
• How much do you urinate?
• Do you have any additional symptoms?

After these questions, your doctor will examine you and ask you to do some tests . Some tests to do are:

• blood biochemistry
• HbA1c test
• Glucose level determination
• urine test

If a problem is not detected as a result of these tests, some additional tests will be performed . These tests are:

• Vasopressin levels
• Blood sodium and potassium imbalance
• fluid deprivation test

Some of the drugs you use may have caused the formation of polydipsia. You should share all the medications you use with your doctor.

You should not forget that polydipsia is actually a symptom . It occurs due to underlying problems and gives symptoms.

Your doctor will identify the cause of the polydipsia. Later, various treatment options will be discussed for the treatment of polydipsia .

The thing to do for the treatment of polydipsia will be to eliminate the underlying health problem. If the underlying problem is eliminated, the symptoms of polydipsia will disappear.

The causes and treatments for polydipsia are:

Diabetes (Diabetes)	If diabetes is the cause of polydipsia, your treatment will include many conditions. Diet and exercises will be recommended. Depending on the type of your disease, you will need to use medication or insulin. By controlling blood sugar, polydipsia treatment is provided.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis	It is a situation that requires urgent intervention. The fluid and electrolyte loss of the patient is replaced in a short time. It is tried to control blood sugar with insulin. After DKA treatment, patients are given similar recommendations to keep their diabetes under control.
Diabetes İnsipidus	The basis of ADH hormone disorder will be investigated and treatments for the root cause will be presented. Synthetic vasopressin analogues may be recommended.
Drug-Induced Polydipsia	If the medications you use cause excessive thirst, your doctor may change your medication or make changes in the medication dose.
Psychogenic Polydipsis	The underlying psychiatric problem must first be identified. Medication or psychotherapy may then be recommended for the condition. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a frequently used treatment method.

For the treatment of polydipsia , the underlying disease should be determined and the treatment steps for this disease should be followed. As a result of appropriate procedures, symptoms of polydipsia will regress.

The regression period of the complaints may vary depending on the underlying disease. In a few weeks to a few months, the feeling of thirst will disappear completely.