Why is my child always thirsty?

Children often feel thirsty, which is normal in summer because the body loses a lot of water and needs to be continuously replenished with water to maintain normal functioning. What parents need to pay attention to is that some diseases can also cause thirst, such as brain damage, diabetes, kidney disease, etc.

Thirst caused by lack of water:

People will feel thirsty when the weather is hot, when doing heavy physical labor, when losing blood, when suffering from burns, when vomiting, when having diarrhea, or when sweating profusely due to high temperature (heat stroke). This is because the thirst is caused by severe lack of water in the human body. In this condition, people often experience symptoms such as dry mouth, haggard face, sunken eye sockets, and dry and inflexible skin. Some people may experience thirst symptoms because they eat too much salt that day.

Thirst caused by diabetes:

One of the functions of hormones is to coordinate the metabolism of water and salt in the human body. Once the balance of this hormone is disrupted, it can cause constant thirst. Many diabetic patients have high blood sugar, which causes a sharp increase in urine output. At this time, even if you drink a lot of water, you will still feel unbearable thirst.

Thirst caused by brain injury:

Some people also experience thirst after a brain injury or neurosurgery. The patient is often fatal within a day or even an hour, which is very dangerous. At this time, diabetes insipidus worsens. Patients should drink 10 or even 20 liters of water every day. This is because the patient lacks the so-called "urination-limiting hormone" in the body.

Thirst caused by excess hormones:

People with hyperthyroidism often feel thirsty, and the excess hormone often causes tooth loss, bone pain, rapid fatigue, muscle weakness, and rapid weight loss. The calcium lost from the bones can even turn the urine white.

Thirst caused by kidney disease:

People with kidney disease may also experience frequent thirst. This is because the kidneys have lost the ability to retain water and therefore require large amounts of water. There are many types of kidney disease, among which pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, hydronephrosis, etc. can cause thirst. Even with decreased urine output and edema, patients may still feel thirsty.

Thirst caused by improper medication:

Everyone will have this feeling. Sometimes after taking medicine, they will feel dry mouth and tongue. This is thirst caused by improper use of medication, because improper use of some medicines can lead to an imbalance of water and electrolytes in the body. In addition, there is thirst caused by certain special medicines. For example, taking antihypertensive drugs can cause dry mouth, because some antihypertensive drugs reduce the secretion of oral glands.