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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffSince the signs and symptoms of diabetes insipidus can be caused by other conditions, your doctor will perform a number of tests. If your doctor determines you have diabetes insipidus, he or she will need to determine which type of diabetes insipidus you have, because the treatment is different for each form of the disease.
Some of the tests doctors commonly use to determine the type of diabetes insipidus and in some cases, its cause, include:
- Water deprivation test. This test helps determine the cause of diabetes insipidus. You'll be asked to stop drinking fluids two to three hours before the test so that your doctor can measure changes in your body weight, urine output and urine composition when fluids are withheld. Your doctor may also measure blood levels of ADH during this test. The water deprivation test is performed under close supervision in children and pregnant women to make sure no more than 5 percent of body weight is lost during the test.
- Urinalysis. Urinalysis is the physical and chemical examination of urine. If your urine is less concentrated (meaning the amount of water excreted is high and the salt and waste concentrations are low), it could be due to diabetes insipidus.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). An MRI of the head is a noninvasive procedure that uses a powerful magnet and radio waves to construct detailed pictures of brain tissues. Your doctor may want to perform an MRI to look for abnormalities in or near the pituitary gland.
Genetic screening
If your doctor suspects an inherited form of diabetes insipidus, he or she will look at your family history of polyuria and may suggest genetic screening.
- What is diabetes insipidus? Diabetes Insipidus Foundation. http://www.diabetesinsipidus.org. Accessed June 18, 2010.
- Diabetes insipidus. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/insipidus. Accessed June 18, 2020.
- Bichet DG. Diagnosis of polyuria and diabetes insipidus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 15, 2010.
- Bichet DG. Treatment of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 15, 2010.
- Rose BD, et al. Treatment of central diabetes insipidus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 15, 2010.
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