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Polydipsia

What is polydipsia? 

Polydipsia is the intake of more than three litres of fluid per day that cannot be better explained by a physical medical condition, but may be due to stress or a compulsive disorder. Polydipsia occurs more frequently in people with a mental illness than in the general population, and has been estimated to occur at rates of between 9-17% in psychiatric inpatients. Polydipsia may be measured through fluid intake, urine or plasma analysis. Severe polydipsia may lead to insufficient sodium in the body, which may cause coma or even death. As such, it is important to understand prevalence rates and potential treatments for polydipsia in people with schizophrenia.

What is the evidence for comorbid polydipsia?

Moderate to low quality evidence suggests people with schizophrenia have increased rates of polydipsia. Low quality evidence is unable to determine the pharmacological effects of demeclocycline or naloxone for psychosis-related polydipsia.

June 2020

Last updated at: 5:43 am, 17th June 2020
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Title Colour Legend:
Green - Topic summary is available.
Orange - Topic summary is being compiled.
Red - Topic summary has no current systematic review available.