Primary polydipsia rare non-psychogenic causes. An example is polydipsia found in patients with autoimmune chronic hepatitis with severely elevated globulin levels. Evidence for the thirst being non-psychogenic is gained from the fact that it disappears after treatment of the underlying disease. Psychogenic polydipsia is also observed in some non-human patients, such as in rats. Primary polydipsia Primary polydipsia is a form of polydipsia characterised by excessive fluid intake in the absence of physiological stimuli to drink. This includes psychogenic polydipsia (PPD – not to be confused with postpartum depression), which is caused by psychiatric disorders, often schizophrenia, and often accompanied by the
Primary polydipsia attention and motor speed. Other areas with volume reductions (both white and grey matter) include: Signs and symptoms of psychogenic polydipsia include: The most common presenting symptom is tonic-clonic seizure, found in 80% of patients. Psychogenic polydipsia should be considered a life-threatening condition, since it has been known to cause severe hyponatraemia, leading to cardiac arrest, coma and cerebral oedema. It can also cause central pontine myelinolysis. Treatment for psychogenic polydipsia depends on severity and may involve behavioural and pharmacological modalities. If the patient presents with acute hyponatraemia (overhydration) caused by psychogenic polydipsia, treatment usually involves administration of intravenous hypertonic