Diabetes insipidus is characterized by which mechanism?

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Multiple Choice

Diabetes insipidus is characterized by which mechanism?

The concept being tested is how diabetes insipidus disrupts water balance in the body. In DI, there isn’t enough antidiuretic hormone (ADH) or the kidneys don’t respond to it. ADH normally tells the kidneys to reabsorb water in the collecting ducts, making urine concentrated. When ADH is deficient or the kidneys are insensitive, water reabsorption drops, so the kidneys produce large volumes of dilute urine and thirst increases. This is why the best description is insufficient ADH production or kidney insensitivity, leading to excessive urine output. The other scenarios describe different problems: an excess of ADH would cause water retention (not DI); hyperglycemia from insulin deficiency underlies diabetes mellitus with osmotic diuresis; excess parathyroid hormone causing hypercalcemia is a separate issue and doesn’t explain DI.

The concept being tested is how diabetes insipidus disrupts water balance in the body. In DI, there isn’t enough antidiuretic hormone (ADH) or the kidneys don’t respond to it. ADH normally tells the kidneys to reabsorb water in the collecting ducts, making urine concentrated. When ADH is deficient or the kidneys are insensitive, water reabsorption drops, so the kidneys produce large volumes of dilute urine and thirst increases.

This is why the best description is insufficient ADH production or kidney insensitivity, leading to excessive urine output. The other scenarios describe different problems: an excess of ADH would cause water retention (not DI); hyperglycemia from insulin deficiency underlies diabetes mellitus with osmotic diuresis; excess parathyroid hormone causing hypercalcemia is a separate issue and doesn’t explain DI.

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