Etiology of cranial diabetes insipidus in 164 adults

The etiology of cranial diabetes insipidus (CDI) in adult patients has been studied in 164 cases hospitalized in the "G. I. Parhon" Institute of Endocrinology, over the last 10 years. Of those, 109 cases (66,9%) had the idiopathic form whereas 55 had secondary CDI. In the latter group, the most frequently encountered etiologies were traumatic (surgical and accidental head trauma) and tumoral (the primary hypothalamo-pituitary tumors and the metastatic ones had the same incidence). Sex distribution shows males and females to be equally affected. Fifteen cases (9,2%) showed associated allergic syndromes due to the wide use of posterior pituitary powder in Romania. The association of pregnancy with CDI was observed in 13 patients, and a normal evolution of gestation and delivery in 9 patients under therapy with desmopressin (DDAVP). The authors suggest that, at present, there is an increasing incidence both of posttraumatic CDI in adults and of well borne pregnancies.