Description: An abnormal feeling of constantly needing to consume fluids, also known as polydipsia.
Symptoms and indications: Drinking excessive water.
Causes and risk factors:
Excessive thirst may be a symptom of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia)
and can be an important clue in detecting diabetes. Other causes can be :
Excessive thirst is a fairly common symptom and is often the reaction
to fluid loss during exercise or intake of salty foods, a recent salty
or spicy meal, excessive loss of water and salt (possibly due to water
deprivation, profuse sweating, diarrhoea, or vomiting), diabetes
mellitus, diabetes insipidus, loss of body fluids from the bloodstream
to the tissues due to: conditions such as severe infections (sepsis) or
burns, heart, liver, or kidney failure, and psychogenic polydipsia.
Prevention: As thirst
is usually the body's signal to replace water loss, it is usually
appropriate to drink plenty of liquids. Drinking extra fluids before
exercising can help. Avoiding substances responsible for excessive
thirst also help. Taking medications as prescribed and checking blood
sugars regularly can prevent some cases due to diabetes.
No comments:
Post a Comment