SMILES

My daughter is 26 months old and was just diagnosed with diabetes insipidus. They attribute it to her cleft palate. She is missing her posterior piturary gland which makes the hormone to tell your kidney that she doesn't have to pee and that she is not thirsty. She has been drinking tons of water non stop. She was admitted into the hopsital for a week and given a fake hormone. She will be on this for life. Does anyone who have a child with a cleft have this kind of rare defect?

You might want to see that your daughter's cleft palate is not the cause of her diabetes since I have never heard of a cleft palate being linked to diabetes. More likely, the lack your daughter's posterior pituitary gland is the cause. If the cleft palate is the case, it is extremely rare that a cleft palate could be linked to diabetes.

Jeff Alterman at alterman156@verizon.net

The Doctor's at the hospital said at the hospital since Skylar's cleft is a midline defect that it could effect the piturary gland which grows right in the middle of the head and while in the womb the cleft should close and the pitituary gland should move up. Supposedly since the cleft didn't close, the pitutary gland possibly could be affected. This is not "regular" diabetes that has to do with monitoring glucose/sugars. This is a totally different diabetes (insipidus) all together and is kind of rare, but not extremely rare.

Here is just one of many articles about this by googling this. Clefts that effect the pituary gland can also effect growth hormone and other hormones that pituary gland puts off.

http://jcn.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/23/1/118

chickmonkey

I did read the story about the subject with a mid line cleft and they are much more subject to issues besides the cleft palate. One wouldn't think that a form of diabetes can be attributed to a cleft palate but after reading on, the issues isn't as uncommon as one thinks.

Jeff Alterman

Here is a VERY interesting read. Read about his diabetes.

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/fursefamily

Interesting to read about that child's diabetes that is related to his cleft. It appears that diabetes insipidus is more likely to occur in the case of a midline cleft rather than the much more common unilateral or bilateral CL&P.

Jeff Alterman at alterman156@verizon.net