Severe hyponatremia (serum sodium concentration <120 mEq/L) is a well-known etiology of acute symptomatic seizure. Severe hyponatremia may occur as a rare but clinically important adverse reaction of psychotrophic drugs. Among them, patients with psychogenic polydipsia have especially higher risk of severe hyponatremia. We present a schizophrenic patient with polydipsia who developed severe hyponatremia and symptomatic seizures while receiving olanzapine treatment.
Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Polydipsia ; Polydipsia, Psychogenic ; Seizures ; Sodium

Hyponatremia frequently occurs in patients with chronic schizophrenia and has various causes such as compulsive drinking, neuroleptics, and physical illness. If not corrected immediately, it leads to severe problems such as seizures, change in mental status, and even death. We detected five cases of hyponatremia with neurological symptoms in patients with chronic schizophrenia. One case had a long history of primary polydipsia, whereas the other four cases had no history of polydipsia. We speculated that the cause in these latter four cases was neuroleptics or physical illness. All five cases improved with conservative treatment. Possible implications and the need for future study are discussed.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Drinking ; Humans ; Hyponatremia* ; Polydipsia ; Polydipsia, Psychogenic ; Schizophrenia* ; Seizures

Hypotonic hyponatremia by primary polydipsia can cause severe neurologic complications due to cerebral edema. A 10-year-and-4-month-old boy with a psychiatric history of intellectual disability and behavioral disorders who presented with chief complaints of seizure and mental change showed severe hypotonic hyponatremia with low urine osmolality (serum sodium, 101 mmol/L; serum osmolality, 215 mOsm/kg; urine osmolality, 108 mOsm/kg). The patient had been polydipsic for a few months prior, and this had been worse in the previous few days. A diagnosis of hypotonic hyponatremia caused by primary polydipsia was made. The patient was in a coma, and developed respiratory arrest and became brain death shortly after admission, despite the treatment. The initial brain magnetic resonance imaging showed severe brain swelling with tonsillar and uncal herniation, and the patient was declared as brain death. It has been reported that antidiuretic hormone suppression is inadequate in patients with chronic polydipsia, and that this inadequate suppression of antidiuretic hormone is aggravated in patients with acute psychosis. Therefore, hyponatremia by primary polydipsia, although it is rare, can cause serious and life-threatening neurologic complications.
Brain Death* ; Brain Edema ; Brain* ; Child* ; Coma ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hyponatremia* ; Intellectual Disability ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male* ; Osmolar Concentration ; Polydipsia ; Polydipsia, Psychogenic* ; Psychotic Disorders ; Seizures ; Sodium ; Water Intoxication

Primary polydipsia (PP) is marked by an increase in thirst, and most often presents in patients with psychiatric illnesses. Although uncommon in children, we experienced cases of PP in a 15-month-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. Both were admitted to the hospital with symptoms of polydipsia and polyuria that appeared 1–3 months before admission. Brain magnetic resonance imaging in both patients was normal. A water restriction test was performed after hospitalization and showed normal results. The symptoms improved after the parents were instructed to implement water-intake restriction for 2 weeks. Our report provides useful information for the treatment of PP in children.
Brain ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diabetes Insipidus ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Infant ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Parents ; Polydipsia ; Polydipsia, Psychogenic ; Polyuria ; Thirst ; Water

Hyponatremia results from a relative excess of total body water compared with the sodium content. Except for primary polydipsia, vasopressin activation plays a major role in pathogenesis of water retention. Consequently, the increase of solute-free water clearance by inactivating vasopressin action would be a more reasonable therapeutic approach than the addition of sodium. The V2 vasopressin receptor is mainly localized to the collecting ducts in the kidney and causes water reabsorption via water channels. Selective V2 receptor antagonists or vaptans were recently introduced to clinical practices and may be useful for correcting dilutional hyponatremia. Clinical trials have shown that vaptans are effective in increasing the serum sodium concentration in patients with syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuresis and congestive heart failure and that they might be safe as long as patients are allowed free accesses to water. However, the indications for using vaptans need to be more refined, and the question of their long-term cost-effectiveness should be answered. In addition, the potential roles of vaptans in ameliorating the growth of cysts in polycystic kidney disease, saving diuretics in edematous disorders, and retarding the progression of chronic kidney disease are being explored.
Aquaporins ; Body Water ; Diuretics ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Kidney ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases ; Polydipsia, Psychogenic ; Receptors, Vasopressin* ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Sodium ; Vasopressins ; Water

We report three cases of Diabetes insipidus which charactrized by the polyuria and polydipsia. All of the three cases well controlled with oral addministration of chlorpropamide. Two cases were idiopathic and the other was suspected pituitary tumor. A briet review of literature was made.
Chlorpropamide ; Diabetes Insipidus* ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Polydipsia ; Polyuria

We report a case of immature teratoma arising at the suprasellar region in a 18 year-old-male who presented with bitemporal hemianopsia, nausea and polydipsia. The teratoma is a rare neoplasm consisting of 0.5% to 1.2% of all intracranial tumors. The clinical presentation, radiologic finding, pathology and treatment are briefly described with a review of other cases from the literature in view of clinical features and management.
Chemoradiotherapy ; Hemianopsia ; Nausea ; Pathology ; Polydipsia ; Teratoma*

BACKGROUND: Although the water restriction test(WRT) has been used as a standard test for the differential diagnosis of diabetes insipidus(DI), the measurement of plasma ADH concentration is also known to be useful method for differential diagnosis. Recent studies have shown that some patients with idiopathic central DI(CDI) were found to have a lesion on follow-up imaging studies. There have been no report in Korea on plasma ADH measurement for the differential diagnosis of DI, nor on follow-up imaging study of the idiopathic CDI. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and laboratory findings of 26 patients(12 men, 14 women, age 9-65 years) with CDI, including pituitary MRI or CT scan, who had been diagnosed with WRT and had undergone plasma ADH concentration measurement. RESULTS: 1) Clinical features of the patients with complete CDI did not differ from those of patients with partial CDI. 2) Maximal urine osmolality of complete CDI and partial CDI were 168+/-69mOsm/kg and 431+/-141mOsm/kg, respectively, and the percentage increase in the urinary osmolality after ADH injection was 209+/-149% and 29+/-17%, respectively. 3) Among the 26 patients, 10 patients had their plasma ADH measured. Nine patients in this group were diagnosed as CDI by WRT and plasma ADH concentration of the 9 was compatible for CDI. The plasma ADH level was also inappropriately low in one patient who had been diagnosed with primary polydipsia by WRT, the patient was diagnosed as partial CDI. 4) The findings of follow-up MRI revealed isolated thickening of the pituitary stalk in two cases of idiopathic CDI diagnosed initially with MRI. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the measurement of plasma ADH can ensure a better differential diagnosis between partial CDI and primary polydipsia, and that the patients with idiopathic CDI should be examined regularly with MRI brain scan, including the pituitary gland.
Brain ; Diabetes Insipidus, Neurogenic* ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Osmolar Concentration ; Pituitary Gland ; Plasma* ; Polydipsia, Psychogenic ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Water

Tuberculous menigitis is relatively common disease and delay in treatment is associated with many neurologic sequelae. Of the neurologic disorder, diabets insipidus is extreamly rare. Diabetes insipidus is a syndrome characterized by the excretion of abnormally large volumes of dilute urine. It is divided into central diabets insipidus, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, primary polydipsia and gestational daibetes insipidus. In this four type of diabetes insipidus, central diabetes insipidus is a polyuric disorder results from a lack of sufficient antidiuretic hormone to effect appropriate concentration of the urine for water conservration. We report a 25-year old male who had prolonged head ache and subsequently followed by polyuria. He was dia gonsed as the tuberculous meningitis by laboratory find ing and smear of CSF, and diagnosed central diabetes insipidus by serum osmolality & Na+ & AVP (arginine va sopressin), urine osmolality & specific gravity, adminis tration of vasopressin. He maintained the water balance of body by administration of vasopressin, but without im provement of mental status, sudden cardiac arrest occurs on 20th hospital day
Adult ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Diabetes Insipidus* ; Diabetes Insipidus, Nephrogenic ; Diabetes Insipidus, Neurogenic ; Head ; Humans ; Male ; Nervous System Diseases ; Osmolar Concentration ; Polydipsia, Psychogenic ; Polyuria ; Specific Gravity ; Tuberculosis, Meningeal* ; Vasopressins ; Water

Polydipsia occurs frequently in chronic schizophrenic patients, some of whom develop hyponatremia. Although the underlying pathophysiology of polydipsia among psychiatric patients, recent reports indicate that clozapine treatment improves polydipsia-hyponatremia in schizophrenia. Two schizophrenic patients with polydipsia, followed for more than two years, showed improvement on clozapine. Case 1 was a patient without history of hyponatremia who improved from polydipsia and psychosis. Case 2 was an inpatient with polydipsia and hyponatremia who showed improvement of polydipsia and did nor recur hyponatremia. The limited information provided by these case reports suggest the need for controlled studies of the clozapine effect on schizophrenic patients with polydipsia.
Clozapine* ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Inpatients ; Polydipsia* ; Psychotic Disorders ; Schizophrenia*