Polyuria, the excessive production of urine, can be caused by hyperglycemia, nocturnal polyuria, excessive water intake, and certain medications. It is commonly found in unmanaged diabetes and the elderly. Congestive heart failure and drug metabolism can also cause polyuria.
Referring to urinary excretion greater than 3 quarts (about 2.8 liters), polyuria typically results from hyperglycemia, conditions that cause nocturnal polyuria, and drinking large amounts of water, which is the most obvious. Taking certain medications, especially those prescribed for high blood pressure, also increase urine output. Except for excessive water consumption, the common causes of polyuria can be linked to several abnormal conditions occurring within the body: either there is a critical decrease in the antidiuretic hormone (ADH) response or the amount of ADH released. It is also associated with the urinary excretion of solutes such as glucose and salt. Polyuria is most commonly found in individuals with unmanaged diabetes mellitus and in the elderly population.
Hyperglycemia, the condition of having excess sugar in the blood, ends with polyuria. This is brought about by the impaired functioning of the kidneys as they attempt to handle the large amounts of glucose for its return to the body. Instead, the kidneys fail to filter it as there is not enough protein available to move all the glucose out of the kidneys, eventually leading to the excretion of glucose into the urine. The reason this happens has to do with the fact that sugar, like salt, concentrates urine, attracting water to dilute its concentration as water flows from an area of higher water concentration to a lower one. Often a previous indication of diabetes insipidus and mellitus, causes of polyuria include polydipsia, a noticeable thirst that leads to an increase in the amount of urine excreted.
Characterized by fatigue, edema of the lower limbs and difficulty breathing, congestive heart failure is included among the causes of polyuria, especially at night. The etiology of increased urine output at night in congestive heart failure involves the inability of the heart to move blood effectively through the systemic circulation, which causes fluid to accumulate in places such as the abdomen and ankles. At night, during sleep, the body tries to reabsorb fluids by releasing large quantities of urine. Nocturnal polyuria tends to affect the elderly population.
Determined to be one of the causes of polyuria, the metabolism of some drugs leads to an increase in urine output. Used in the treatment of high blood pressure, diuretics work to lower blood pressure through urination. Salt is excreted along with the urine as directed by the kidneys, and since there is less volume of water in the blood, the pressure is therefore reduced. Other medications that result in polyuria include metronidazole, which is provided for trichomoniasis, as well as antihistamines such as chlorpheniramine maleate.
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