Ok Question

Patient has Diabetes Insipidus, you have to help them choose a beverage for lunch. Which of these would you not give the patient with this condition.

A) Orange juice

B) Tea

C) Apple juice

D) Coke

I chose coke because not only does it have caffeine which is a diuretic, but it also has high amounts of sugar which isnt good for the diabetic.

The answer, according to the PN Success program was tea. its rationale was only that it had caffeine and was a diuretic. I wanted to pull my hair out because I couldnt understand why that was any better than the coke!

Anyone care to help me with this?

Diabetes insipidus (DI) is NOT the same thing as diabetes mellitus! With insipidus there is a decrease in the secretion of ADH (antidiuretic hormone) which results in hypotonic polyuria and can these people put out the urine! The metabolism of glucose is not an issue.

Some medical terminology. . .the word diabetes means "passing through". It refers to excessive urination. This excessive urination occurs in both diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus but for different reasons.

The urine of people with DI is nearly pure water and lots of it. I have seen figures that say a person with DI can void as much as 24 liters of urine a day! These patients also have elevated creatinine and BUN levels. They need fluids that are going to be replacing electrolytes they are losing in their urine. Fruit juices are highly recommended in DI. Since they are already diuresing the last thing you want to do is give them something that is going to stimulate any further diuresis. Tea, unfortunately, is one of them.