What causes frequent urination in a child?

Posted on Thu, 10 Dec 2015

Question: Hi I have an autistic 9 yr old son who has put on several pounds in the last few months and also urinates several times an hr. What could be going on?

Answered by Dr. Sumanth Amperayani (25 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Needs work up for thyroid and diabetes insipidus

Detailed Answer:
Hi.... by what you quote I feel that your son will require work up for thyroid status which can cause such a sudden increase in weight by what I mean thyroid status is hypothyroidism or low thyroid hormones being produced in the body for various reasons.

The reason for increased frequency of urine could be due to a disease state called diabetes insipidus. This could be either central or related to brain or peripheral... Related to kidneys.

But considering both putting on weight and increased frequency of urination, I feel it could be a central cause.

I suggest you consult with your pediatric Endocrinologist for this.

He will require further work up of hormonal status and departure even an MRI brain.

Regards - Dr. Sumanth

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar