diabetes insipidus

noun

diabetes in·​sip·​i·​dus -in-ˈsi-pə-dəs 

: a disorder of the pituitary gland characterized by intense thirst and by the excretion of large amounts of urine

Examples of diabetes insipidus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Low Vasopressin Large amounts of diluted urine and excessive thirst (polydipsia) are characteristic of a group of conditions formerly known as diabetes insipidus. —James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, Md, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2024

Drinking enough water and other liquids to prevent dehydration is the main treatment for diabetes insipidus. —Danielle Weiss, Verywell Health, 2 July 2024

Problems with vasopressin can cause a disorder first described in the 18th century as diabetes insipidus (D.I.) — a disease producing profuse and watery (insipid) urine. —Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 1 Sep. 2022

Fluids are administered constantly to avoid diabetes insipidus, among other things; a healthy BHC should pee out 100 to 250 milliliters of urine per hour. —Dick Teresi, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2012

While most people make 1 to 3 quarts of urine a day, people with diabetes insipidus can make up to 20 quarts of urine a day. —Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2022

There is another kind of diabetes, diabetes insipidus, that is also often responsible for polyuria, explains the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. —Sarah Bradley, Health.com, 19 Oct. 2021

Those with diabetes insipidus would also be frequently urinating. —Zee Krstic, Good Housekeeping, 27 Sep. 2020

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin diabētēs insipidus, literally, "bland diabetes," referring to the lack of sweetness in the urine

Note: Term introduced, along with diabētēs mellītus, by the Scottish physician William Cullen (1710-90) in Synopsis nosologiæ methodicæ, editio tertia, tomus II (Edinburgh, 1780), pp. 244-45.

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

diabetes insipidus

noun

diabetes in·​sip·​i·​dus -in-ˈsip-əd-əs 

: a disorder that is caused by insufficient secretion of vasopressin by the pituitary gland or by a failure of the kidneys to respond to circulating vasopressin and that is characterized by intense thirst and by the excretion of large amounts of urine

But there is another type of diabetes—known as diabetes insipidus. In this rare disease, the kidneys can't hold on to the water the body needs. The urine is insipid—so diluted it looks, smells and tastes just like water.

—Lisa Sanders, The New York Times Magazine

see central diabetes insipidus, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus