What exactly means diuresis?

schnookimz · Mar 1, 2014

I thought polyuria was more like urinating an excessive number of times. And I always thought diuresis was more like when you give lasix and the amount of urine increases.

healthresearch · Mar 1, 2014

Polyuria is very specific term, which is defined as excreting more than 3 liters of urine per day (in adults), so this is about increased daily volume of urine, which of course results in increased frequency of urination. On the other hand, increased frequency of urination by itself, for example, in urinary tract infection, does not result in increased urine volume. I understand the term polyuria clearly, but I'm just confused what exactly diuresis means. I actually believe diuresis is a physiological term that means (normal) urine production in the kidneys. The problem is that virtually all online dictionaries explain diuresis as increased urination.

schnookimz · Mar 1, 2014

But what about when they say the patient needs to be "diuresed"? I thought this meant they need to get the excess fluid off them.

healthresearch · Mar 1, 2014

Well, OK, "diuresed" is probably not an official term; I mean you can't use the jargon of the medical staff for definitions.

kdunurse · Mar 2, 2014

Polyuria is very specific term which is defined as excreting more than 3 liters of urine per day (in adults), so this is about increased daily volume of urine, which of course results in increased frequency of urination. On the other hand, increased frequency of urination by itself, for example, in urinary tract infection, does not result in increased urine volume. I understand the term polyuria clearly, but I'm just confused what exactly diuresis means. I actually believe diuresis is a physiological term that means (normal) urine production in the kidneys. The problem is that virtually all online dictionaries explain diuresis as increased urination.[/quote']
Diuresis refers to the process of increased urine production, often from an inadequate level to an adequate one. When I was a surgical nurse, our patients would often have a low urine output in the immediate post surgical period (200-300 ml per 8 hours was common). Then over the next couple of days, the patient's output could increase to 1000-1500 ml per shift. That increase is what's referred to as diuresis. Administering diuretics also causes diuresis. The general idea is that the body increases fluid excretion to remove excess fluid. Polyuria refers to an excessive production of urine, such as occurs with diabetes. Just as the words "increased" and "excessive" aren't synonymous, neither are the terms "diuresis" and "polyuria".

kdunurse · Mar 2, 2014

I actually believe diuresis is a physiological term that means (normal) urine production in the kidneys. The problem is that virtually all online dictionaries explain diuresis as increased urination.

Not to be blunt, but the dictionaries are correct.

healthresearch · Mar 3, 2014

Diuresis refers to the process of increased urine production, often from an inadequate level to an adequate one. When I was a surgical nurse, our patients would often have a low urine output in the immediate post surgical period (200-300 ml per 8 hours was common). Then over the next couple of days, the patient's output could increase to 1000-1500 ml per shift. That increase is what's referred to as diuresis. Administering diuretics also causes diuresis. The general idea is that the body increases fluid excretion to remove excess fluid. Polyuria refers to an excessive production of urine, such as occurs with diabetes. Just as the words "increased" and "excessive" aren't synonymous, neither are the terms "diuresis" and "polyuria".

I have at least 2 reasons to believe diuresis means only urine production and not increased urine production.

1. Google search site:gov "increased diuresis" gives over 7,000 results, mostly pubmed articles. By an obvious logic, using just "diuresis" here would mean (normal) urination.

2. Etymonline explains diuresis as originating from Greek diourein, which means urination. The word diourein does not contain anything what would suggest "more" or "increased."

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Mar 3, 2014

Diuresis is an increase in the production of urine by the kidneys, which typically results in a corresponding increase in urine expelled by the body. When it happens without an accompanying increase of urination can cause severe medical problems. It has a wide range of causes and an assortment of treatment approaches, when treatment is required.

There are several different types of diuresis, and it can be important to identify which type a patient is suffering from. In osmotic diuresis, for example, substances build up in the tubules of the kidneys, interfering with the reabsorption of water and causing an elevated level of water in the bloodstream, which in turn causes the kidneys to increase urine output. In rebound diuresis, patients produce a large amount of urine as they recover from renal failure. It can also be caused by exposure to cold or prolonged submersion, in which case it is known as immersion diuresis, as the body constricts blood vessels to conserve heat, leading the kidneys to produce more urine.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Mar 3, 2014

I have at least 2 reasons to believe diuresis means only urine production and not increased urine production.
1. Google search site:gov "increased diuresis" gives over 7,000 results, mostly pubmed articles. By an obvious logic, using just "diuresis" here would mean (normal) urination.

By OBVIOUS logic???

Do you actually look at what context diuresis was use in EACH article?

2. Etymonline explains diuresis as originating from Greek diourein, which means urination. The word diourein does not contain anything what would suggest "more" or "increased."

Um, last time I checked, roots of words are what they are; also, I didn't know we were still speaking Greek. :blink:

Pardon my views, but why are you debating this, when in your previous post, you stated the meaning from a Dictionary:

I always thought diuresis means normal excretion of urine, but practically every single online dictionary (Merriam Webster, dictionary.com) says diuresis is increased excretion of urine. But the term for excessive urination is polyuria. I really don't think diuresis and polyuria are synonyms.
Any thoughts about the exact definition?

and then, educated professionals give you the exact confirmation AND examples of the meaning? I am extremely curious.

healthresearch · Mar 3, 2014

If diuresis by itself were meaning increased urination, the article authors would not use the term increased diuresis for increased urination but just diuresis. Yes, by obvious logic, to me, this means, they consider diuresis as normal urination.

A word being explained in a dictionary this or other way does not automatically mean the explanation is correct or appropriate.

I have finished a medical faculty and I believe I have fair understanding of most common medical terms and principles behind them, but I found this diuresis a bit tricky, so I asked for opinions here. My question is about a term usage, not a medical question. I asked a question and provided my arguments, I did not make any final claim. Again, I feel, the term diuresis in dictionaries should be used for normal urination from the reasons described above. I'm not complaining about how nurses and doctors use it at their work.

I'm not attacking or insulting anyone here and I fully respect reasonable answers even if I don't agree with them. If someone thinks my explanation is wrong please provide some reasoning beyond how "everyone" uses the term in a certain way or how it is written in dictionaries. Basically I was hoping someone will paste a link to some source for which we all could agree as an authority source. Again, this is probably much more a grammatical than medical question.

EDIT:

Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (y. 1913) has this definition:

Diuresis = free excretion of urine.

This is what I can agree with.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Mar 3, 2014

The difference of your sources may be leading you to your confusion.

I would try tabers as a source; however there is a term for normal urination-urination. :blink:

Diuresis is a term that has been explained, to me, thoroughly enough here that I'm not going to rehash it.

"Acceptable terms" are already in place; I don't see a convention convening in changing "normal urination", I mean urination, to diuresis, when the term is used for excess urine production; there are medications in a category-Diuretics-that are a derivative from the term diuresis; that enough speaks of itself in terms of increased urine production.