Efficacy of intranasal desmopressin in the treatment of nocturia due to nocturnal polyuria

: Older adults often cite nocturia as one of the most bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). We investigated the efficacy and safety of intranasal desmopressin in the treatment of nocturia due to nocturnal polyuria on 12 patients (ten men, two women) ranging in age from 53 to 77 years (mean 67 years). All patients experienced more than two episodes of nocturia per night, and had a nocturnal urine volume greater than 35% of the daily voided volume, measured using a 3-day voiding diary with a frequency-volume chart. They began taking intranasal desmopressin (10 microg) at bedtime. When compared with the baseline data, the nocturnal urine volume, (928 +/- 307 versus 469 +/- 251 ml, p = 0.0007) and nocturnal frequency (4.8 +/- 2.0 versus 2.8 +/- 1.8, p = 0.0009) were significantly decreased. The daytime urine volume (1,008 +/- 458 versus 930 +/- 419 ml, p = 0.49) did not change significantly. The unine osmolarity (420 +/- 143 versus 598 +/- 158 mOsm/kg, p = 0.0065), and urine sodium levels (100 +/- 32 versus 140 +/- 60 mEq/l, p = 0.007) increased significantly, whereas the serum sodium levels (141 +/- 3 versus 135 +/- 7 mEq/l, p = 0.048) decreased significantly. Among the 12 patients, 5 (41.6%) patients reported side effects, including headache in 1, edema in 1 and hyponatremia in 3. The patient with edema discontinued medication, but the other 4 patients continued their medication and the side effects subsided. In conclusion, desmopressin is an effective treatment for adult patients complaining of nocturia due to nocturnal polyuria. One should be aware of the potential side effects including hyponatremia.