Excessive Thirst (Polydipsia) and Type 1 Diabetes

Is excessive thirst (also called polydipsia) a sign of diabetes? Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that causes your pancreas to stop producing insulin, a hormone that is essential to getting energy from food. The disease strikes people of all ages and is unrelated to diet or lifestyle. People living with this disease must regularly monitor their blood-sugar levels, inject or infuse insulin, and carefully regulate doses with eating and activity throughout the day.

What is type 1 diabetes?

Approximately 1.45 million Americans live with type 1 diabetes. There is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes, and there’s presently no cure.

Is polydipsia dangerous?

When it comes to diabetes, polydipsia (excessive thirst) can be dangerous.  Prolonged dehydration (signified by polydipsia/excessive thirst) can lead to nausea, dizziness, headaches and fainting. And if you do have diabetes, but have not yet been diagnosed, this dehydration has the potential to lead to diabetic ketoacidosis which can lead to organ failure, coma or death. Another concern is that extreme dehydration can also make your blood-sugar levels rise more quickly than normal since less urine—and glucose—is being expelled.

What should you do next?

If you think that you may be experiencing diabetes mellitus polydipsia, it’s important that you see a doctor as soon as possible. Regardless of the cause polydipsia (excessive thirst) is a sign that something is not right in your body. So make that appointment today.