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Desmopressin

Desmopressin, sold under the trade name DDAVP among others, is a medication used to treat diabetes insipidus, bedwetting, hemophilia A, von Willebrand disease, and high blood urea levels. In hemophilia A and von Willebrand disease, it should only be used for mild to moderate cases. It may be given in the nose, by injection into a vein, by mouth, or under the tongue. Common side effects include headaches, diarrhea, and low blood sodium. The low blood sodium that results may cause seizures. It should not be used in people with significant kidney problems or low blood sodium. It appears to be safe to use during pregnancy. It is a synthetic analogue of vasopressin, the hormone that plays roles in the control of the body’s osmotic balance, blood pressure regulation, kidney function, and reduction of urine production. Desmopressin was approved for medical use in the United States in 1978. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. It is available as a generic medication. Desmopressin is used to treat nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting). It is usually prescribed in the form of desmopressin acetate, by mouth. Children taking DDAVP have 2.2 fewer wet nights per week and are 4.5 times more likely to sleep without disruption compared with placebo. In 2017, the FDA approved Desmopressin has some benefit for adults who have problems with nocturia (having a need to wake up at night for urination). Desmopressin (DDAVP) is usually the first line treatment for mild to moderate type 1 von Willebrand disease. It is not recommended in severe disease or in those with abnormal factor VIII. Usefulness in type 2A, 2M, or 2N von Willebrand disease is variable. Generally not recommended in 2B and type 3 von Willebrand disease. Desmopressin is only recommended in mild hemophilia A. It may be used both for bleeding due to trauma or to try to prevent bleeding due to surgery. It is not effective in the treatment of hemophilia B (factor IX deficiency) or severe hemophilia A. May also be used in uremia induced bleeding.

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Related lectures (1)
Renal Physiology: Vasopressin and Osmolarity
Explores renal physiology, vasopressin's role in water permeability, and osmolarity regulation.
Related publications (1)
Related concepts (4)
Factor VIII
Factor VIII (FVIII) is an essential blood-clotting protein, also known as anti-hemophilic factor (AHF). In humans, factor VIII is encoded by the F8 gene. Defects in this gene result in hemophilia A, an X-linked coagulation disorder. Factor VIII is produced in liver sinusoidal cells and endothelial cells outside the liver throughout the body. This protein circulates in the bloodstream in an inactive form, bound to another molecule called von Willebrand factor, until an injury that damages blood vessels occurs.
Hemostasis
In biology, hemostasis or haemostasis is a process to prevent and stop bleeding, meaning to keep blood within a damaged blood vessel (the opposite of hemostasis is hemorrhage). It is the first stage of wound healing. This involves coagulation, which changes blood from a liquid to a gel. Intact blood vessels are central to moderating blood's tendency to form clots. The endothelial cells of intact vessels prevent blood clotting with a heparin-like molecule and thrombomodulin, and prevent platelet aggregation with nitric oxide and prostacyclin.
Vasopressin
Human vasopressin, also called antidiuretic hormone (ADH), arginine vasopressin (AVP) or argipressin, is a hormone synthesized from the AVP gene as a peptide prohormone in neurons in the hypothalamus, and is converted to AVP. It then travels down the axon terminating in the posterior pituitary, and is released from vesicles into the circulation in response to extracellular fluid hypertonicity (hyperosmolality). AVP has two primary functions.
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