Diabetes insipidus - Complications of diabetes insipidus

Diabetes insipidus can sometimes cause complications, particularly if it's undiagnosed or poorly controlled.

Dehydration and an electrolyte imbalance are two of the main complications (see below).

Dehydration

If you have diabetes insipidus, your body will find it difficult to retain enough water, even if you drink fluid constantly. This can lead to dehydration (a severe lack of water in the body).

If you or someone you know has diabetes insipidus, it's important to look out for the signs and symptoms of dehydration. These may include:

dizziness or light-headedness
headache
dry mouth and lips
sunken features (particularly the eyes)
confusion and irritability

Dehydration can be treated by rebalancing the level of water in your body.

If you're severely dehydrated, you may need intravenous fluid replacement in hospital. This is where fluids are given directly through a drip into your vein.

Electrolyte imbalance

Diabetes insipidus can also cause an electrolyte imbalance. Electrolytes are minerals in your blood that have a tiny electric charge, such as sodium, calcium, potassium, chlorine, magnesium and bicarbonate.

If the body loses too much water, the concentration of these electrolytes can go up simply because the amount of water they're contained in has gone down.

This dehydration disrupts other functions of the body, such as the way muscles work. It can also lead to headache, fatigue (feeling tired all the time), irritability and muscle pain.

Dehydrated: Dehydration is an excessive loss of fluids and minerals from the body.
Fatigue: Fatigue is extreme tiredness and lack of energy.
Fever: A high temperature, also known as a fever, is when someone's body temperature is 38C (100.4F) or above.
Vomiting: Vomiting is when you bring up the contents of your stomach through your mouth.