Diabetes Insipidus: Examination

A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:

  • General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
    • Inspection (viewing).
      • Skin and the mucous membranes
    • Auscultation (listening) of the heart.
    • Auscultation of the lungs
    • Palpation (palpation) of the abdomen (abdomen) (tenderness?, knocking pain?, coughing pain?, defensive tension?, hernial orifices?, renal bearing knocking pain?) [Leading symptom in infants: diarrhea (diarrhea).
  • Cancer screening [due topossible causes of diabetes insipidus centralis:
    • Malignant neoplasms of the blood system such as leukemia (blood cancer) or lymphoma (neoplasm originating from the lymphatic system).
    • Granulomas (nodular neoplasms) such as histiocytosis X or xanthoma disseminatum.
    • Neoplasms in the region of the head, unspecified.
    • Metastases (daughter tumors) in the area of the head, not specified
    • Tumor or cyst of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus]

    [due topossible causes of renal diabetes insipidus: sarcoma (malignant tumor originating in soft tissue)]

  • If necessary, gynecological examination [due topossible cause of diabetes insipidus centralis as well as renal diabetes insipidus: pregnancy]
  • Neurological examination [due topossible causes of diabetes insipidus centralis:
    • Chronic meningitis (meningitis).
    • Hypoxic encephalopathy (damage to the brain caused by lack of oxygen).
    • Viral encephalitis (inflammation of the brain caused by viruses)]

    [due toPossible cause of renal diabetes insipidus: neurosarcoidosis (inflammatory systemic disease affecting the skin, lungs, and in this case, the nervous system)]

  • If necessary, psychiatric examination [due todifferential diagnosis: psychogenic polydipsia (pathologically increased sense of thirst)]
  • Urological/nephrological examination [due topossible causes of renal diabetes insipidus:
    • Chronic pyelonephritis (inflammation of the renal pelvis).
    • Renal ischemia (acute tubular necrosis) (cell death in the kidney caused by damage from drugs or toxins)
    • Renal cysts
    • Obstruction (shifting/blockage) of ureter (ureter) or urethra]
  • Health check

Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.