Polyuria Flashcards
What does polyuria and high urinary frequency have in common?
passing urine more often that before
How is polyuria different from high urinary frequency?
pass abnormally large volumes of clear urine each time
How do you check if it is true polyuria?
collecting 24hr urine sample (>3L = polyuria) - usually hard to rely on patient
What are differential diagnosis for polyuria?
- Diabetes mellitus (T1 or T2)
- Diuretics (e.g. diuretic medication, caffeine, alcohol, lithium)
- Heart failure
- Hypercalcaemia
- Hyperthyroidism
- Primary polydipsia
- Hypokalaemia
- Hyperuricaemia
- Diabetes insipidus (cranial or nephrogenic)
How can chronic renal failure and hypercalcaemia (e.g. due to bone metastases) cause polyuria?
by inducing nephrogenic diabetes insipidus
Why can steroids and Cushing’s syndrome cause polyuria?
by causing diabetes mellitus
What questions do you ask patient to help narrow down differential?
- Temporal pattern of urine output
- Fatigue, weight loss, recurrent infections
- Lower urinary tract symptoms
- Pain frequency, change in urine colour and smell
- PMHx
- DHx
- FHx
What do you ask about temporal pattern of urine output?
no of times day and night especially nocturia
What does nocturia (in absence of other causes e.g. BPH) suggest?
one of earliest signs of loss of concentrating ability - makes primary polydipsia less likely
What would fatigue, weight loss, recurrent infections and polyuria suggest?
DM
What are examples of lower urinary tract symptoms?
- frequency
- urgency
- hesitancy
- terminal driblling
- incomplete voiding
What would symptoms of lower urinary tract suggest?
- pathology of bladder or outflow tract
- e.g. prostatism (men)
- detrusor instbaility and prolapse (women)
- not really polyruia
Why do you ask about pain frequency, change in urine colour and smell with polyuria?
suggestive of UTI, which could cause increased frequency but not polyuria
What PMHx do you ask about with polyuria?
- Hx renal problems e.g vasculitides, hypertension, chronic urinary retention
- Older patients, cancer (bony mets, hypercalcaemia)
- primary polydipsia in psychiastric disorders
What DHx do you ask about with polyuria?
- diuretic are potential and obvious cause of polyuria
- recent changes in medication or new over counter drugs
- lithium
Why can lithium cause polyuria?
inducing nephrogenic diabetes insipidus
What FHx do you ask about polyuria?
- hereditary component to DM and some forms of cancer
2. familial forms of diabetes inspidus (nephorgenic and cranial) present early in life
What GP tests must you request for polyruia?
- Cap blood glucose
2. Urinalysis with dipstick
Why do you do a cap glucose?
check for DM