Diabetes Insipidus and Na+

[AlteMed]

Hi,

My nursing books say "should watch for this and that" but they sometimes do not give any rationale as to why I should watch out for some things.

Why is that during Diabetes Insipidus sodium is not being flushed together with H2O. With the amount of water being excreted there should be hyponatremia but it's not. Water follows sodium, and vice versa -- they wouldn't give furosemide (diuretic) to Hypernatremic/ and Hypervolemic patients if it didn't follow. What's the mechanism here? thanks! :)

[silverhalide]

I am wondering the same thing! :)

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Depends on the type.... here are two I found when entering "diabetes insipidus"

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000460.htm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000511.htm

Hope this helps :)

[Anodyne]

As I understand it DI is a problem of reabsorption rather than excretion. The distal tubules don't reabsorb water, so the pt produces large amounts of dilute urine. The mechanism is not caused by a problem wear-by the water is following an electrolyte gradient, but by the distal tubules not allowing water to permeate their walls. Hypernatremia is the result of removing the water from the body. Most of the electrolytes are reabsorbed in proximal tubules, which still function as they are suppost to.

I hope that helped.