Oral Desmopressin in the Management of Adults with Nocturia

Abstract

We investigated the efficacy of oral desmopressin in the treatment of adult nocturia. In an analytical study between 2007-2009 in Zahedan-Iran, Thirty patients ≥55 years with verified nocturia (≥two voids/night) were enrolled. Patients with a history of an obstructive cause of nocturia, those with diseases getting worse by the anti-diuretic affect of desmopressin and those with well-defined curable causes (e.g. cystitis) were excluded. Patients received 0.2 mg of oral desmopressin at bed time for a period of 3 weeks. p < 0.05 was taken as the significant level. All 30 patients enrolled completed the trial. Fourteen (47 %) patients receiving desmopressin had fewer than half the number of nocturnal voids relative to base line (p < 0.001). The mean number of nocturnal voids decreased from 4.6 to 2.4 (p < 0.001). Fatigue (10%), headache (3%) and dizziness (3%) were reported. All adverse events were of mild intensity and there were no instances of hyponatremia. Oral desmopressin is an effective treatment in patients with nocturia and is well-tolerated.