ASK THE DOC..
Constant thirst
Madhu:
My father, 60, often feels very thirsty after taking water. He passes urine almost every half an hour. He underwent various tests. But they said there may be sugar (though the reports were normal) and advised him to take medicine. But he is only getting worse and feeling very tired. What is the problem? What tests need to be done?
Dr. Usha Sriram, General Physician and Endocrinologist, replies:
Your father has excessive thirst and is passing urine frequently. This may be due to diabetes mellitus (blood sugar) or diabetes insipidus (difficulty concentrating the urine), disturbance with the thirst centre in the brain or local problems like urinary infection or prostate problems. Please consult a good general physician and then an endocrinologist. He will need tests to check his sugar, urine concentration capacity, Calcium, Sodium, and Potassium to start with and proceed with other tests based on his doctor's evaluation.
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