Do you have a child that is always complaining of being thirsty? Are you just figuring they are saying this because they have been playing hard? This might be the case sometimes, but excessive thirst could also be a symptom of some underlying disorder that could be serious and may need to be brought to the physician's attention.
One of these disorders could be diabetes mellitus, which is characterized by three classic symptoms. These three symptoms are excessive thirst, excessive urination, and excessive hunger. The reason for these symptoms is the excess glucose that is found in their blood stream. This type of diabetes is known as insulin dependent, Type 1, or juvenile diabetes.
Another form of diabetes that excessive thirst may be a sign of is diabetes insipidus. This is where there is an insensitivity of the kidneys to the anti-diuretic hormone, or there is a deficiency of the hormone. This hormone is what sends out signals to your kidneys that they need to take in as much water as they can. The main symptom of this type of diabetes is frequent urination leading to excess loss of fluids from your body causing excessive thirst.
The reason for excessive thirst may be simply that their body is just dehydrated and it needs to be re-hydrated. It could from playing so hard and being too busy to grab a glass of water or it could be a viral, parasitic, or bacterial infection. It could also be the presence of congestive heart failure. It could also be a symptom of a kidney infection.
If your child is exhibiting signs of excessive thirst and there does not appear to be a reason for it, or has any other symptoms, it would be best to have their pediatrician check them out to rule out any signs of a serious disease.
