Question

Which common complication of obesity is suggested if an obese patient presents with polyuria (frequent urination) and polydipsia (excessive thirst)? Explain why frequent urination and excessive thirst are present in a person with this complication.

Answer 1

Answer- According to the given symptoms, the patient may be having Diabetes Mellitus. This is because the 3 main symptoms of diabetes include the following 3 Ps:-

1) Polyuria- It's the term for frequent urination, which usually occurs in diabetes because the high blood glucose prompts the body to excrete some of the excess glucose through urine. This causes increased filtration by the kidneys, and thus increased urge to urinate.

2) Polydipsia- It refers to the excessive thirst that the patients experience. It's caused due to the fact that excessive amount of water is lost due to polyuria, hence causing the patient to feel thirsty all the time.

3) Polyphagia- It refers to excessive hunger. This might be because during diabetes, the cells are not able to take up glucose, either due to insulin deficiency or insulin resistance. Moreover, the hunger doesn't subside even after consuming food.