Insipidus

[abella]

Our two-year old grand child has been under continuous episodes of infections with extremely high fever.  His white blood cells have gone up to 23,000 and has been even hospitalized twice for five days each time.  The doctors did not find any particular cause.  This morning another pediatritian talked about diabetes insipidus as he started having fever day before yesterday even under antibiotics.  Are there any symptoms to this condition that we should observe apart from the urinalysis? He has a very low appetite under normal conditions and tends to be extremely picky with food.

[Deanna L Aftab Guy, MD]

Diabetes insipidus(water diabetes) is due to a hormone lacking that helps us hold onto water, these children will urinate excessively, drink excessively, lose weight and be sick with high sodiums, there is a form due to the pituitary hormone lacking and that which is due to the kidney not responding to the normal hormone.
It does not sound like repeated fevers alone is diabetes insipidus. High white count and fevers that are a mystery needs evaluated by a pediatric infectious disease specialist if the pediatrician has looked at all infectious avenues(kidneys, lungs, throat, skin etc.)

[sevenhuskers]

My son was tested for diabetes insipidus.  The symptoms I was told to look for are extreme thirst and extreme urination which leads to dehydration.  To my knowledge it is not related to infections but my son is eight and not as young as your grand child.  Maybe that changes the symptoms.