The diagram given below represents an endocrine gland in the human body. Study the diagram and answer the following questions: The diagram given below represents an endocrine gland in the human body. Study the diagram and answer the following questions:
Name the hormone which in deficiency causes Diabetes Insipidus. How does this disorder differ from Diabetes Mellitus?
Topic: Diabetes insipidus and mellitus
Answer
DIABETES INSIPIDUS is caused by a deficiency of ANTIDIURETIC HORMONE (vasopressin) from the POSTERIOR lobe of the pituitary.
DIABETES MELLITUS is caused by a deficiency of INSULIN from the PANCREAS. Its urine contains SUGAR; that of diabetes insipidus does not.
The two disorders share a name and nothing else. Both produce excessive urination, which is why both are called "diabetes" — the word means to siphon — but the cause and treatment are entirely different.
THE SECOND WORDS tell them apart, and both are worth knowing: MELLITUS means honey-sweet — the urine contains sugar INSIPIDUS means tasteless — the urine contains none Physicians once diagnosed them exactly that way.
WHY ADH DEFICIENCY CAUSES IT: ADH makes the kidney tubules reabsorb water back into the blood. Without it, water is lost in the urine instead of being recovered.
| Point of difference | Diabetes insipidus | Diabetes mellitus |
|---|---|---|
| Hormone lacking | Antidiuretic hormone (vasopressin) | Insulin |
| Gland concerned | Pituitary (posterior lobe) | Pancreas (islets of Langerhans) |
| Sugar in urine | Absent | Present |
| Urine | Very large volume, dilute | Large volume, containing glucose |