Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: JennyDofat on 20/09/2004 02:24:23
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I was wondering what type of thirst diabetics have. Do they have that natural thirst, where you really want water and nothing else, or do they have that "cotton mouth" thirst, where your mouth is just very dry? My friend has been getting dry mouth a lot and diabetes runs in her family... but she hasn't really been thirsty, like she craving water, just dry mouth
Jennifer
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A thirsty thirst !
The name diabetes comes from the 17th century anatomist and physician Thomas Willis who observed that dibetics 'piss a great deal' and applied the Greek word 'diabetes' - which means a siphon - to describe their predicament.
Diabetics feel thirsty because their disease causes them to become dehydrated. Whilst the mechanism of water loss is different, the ultimate end-point - dehydration - is exactly the same whether the person is dehydrated due to diabetes, water deprivation, or marathon running at the Athens Olympics. They all feel identically thirsty, and crave drinks. Often diabetics (maybe not realising that they have diabetes in the first instance) will slake their thirst with a bottle of fizzy drink, or fruit juice. Being exceptionally high in sugar, this only serves to make the problem worse.
Diabetics become dry because high blood sugar levels in the urine act as a diuretic, inappropriately pulling water out of the body, even in the face of profound dehydration. This situation can be prevented by careful control of blood sugar levels (by insulin supplementation or dietary restriction, as appropriate to the type of disease) and adequate fluid replacement.
Chris
"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
- Groucho Marx