What are the symptoms of AVPD?
AVP Deficiency, also known as Diabetes insipidus (DI), is caused by a problem with either the production, or action, of the hormone vasopressin (AVP). If you have DI your kidneys are unable to retain water.
Excessive thirst and need to pass urine.
The main symptoms that you will feel are thirst (no matter how much you drink) and the need to pass urine very frequently, even during the night. You will pass large volumes of urine; you may pass as much as 4 – 10 litres of urine a day. It is important that you do not try to prevent this by ignoring your thirst and drinking less, or you will disturb the balance of water in your body.
You may well have symptoms of dehydration, for example feeling shivery and nauseous with headaches. People with AVP Deficiency have mentioned that their excessive thirst can be compared with eating 4 or 5 dry cream crackers one after the other, without any drinks.
Most people do have a thirst mechanism, but a few patients don’t. This is called hypodipsia. The combination of AVP Deficiency and hypodipsia is unusual and requires special attention from patients, carers and doctors.
Other symptoms include:
- Urine is very pale, possibly clear and doesn’t concentrate
- Preference of icy cold drinks
- Headaches (which may be due to dehydration)
- Exhaustion
- Shivering
- Nausea
- Dehydration symptoms: parched mouth, cracked lips, coated tongue, dry eyes and dry skin
- Most foods intolerable with a preference to drink fluids
- Weight loss
