Vasopressin analog DDAVP in the treatment of diabetes insipidus

W. P. Lee, B. M. Lippe, S. H. La Franchi and S. A. Kaplan

A synthetic vasopressin analog, 1-desamino-8D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP also known as desmopressin), was found to be highly effective in the treatment of seven children and one adult with vasopressin-sensitive diabetes insipidus. The average duration of action of DDAVP was 10 to 11 hours, and with proper adjustment of dose, the subjects were able to control their symptoms satisfactorily with one or two inhalations daily. The youngest child in whom adequate control was achieved was 2 years of age. All subjects found the use of intranasal DDAVP superior to other forms of therapy, and none experienced any known side-effects after six months of treatment. All subjects in this study are currently using 2.5 mug to 10 mug of DDAVP once or twice daily.