[DIDMOAD syndrome (diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, optic atrophy, deafness) with cerebello-pontine atrophy].

The case is reported of a 32-year old women of Dutch origin who presented with diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, atrophy of the optic nerve, and dilatation of the urinary tract, the combination known as "DIDMOAD syndrome". Unusual features of this case were regional atrophy of the cerebellum and the pons, and hydrocephalus internus which were associated with alterations of personality and mental function. The clinical symptoms of the syndrome simulated "essential" type 1 diabetes with advanced complications such as retinopathy and autonomous and peripheral neuropathy. The presence of diabetes insipidus with polyuria and polydipsia was not recognized for years because the symptoms were ascribed to diabetes mellitus. The neurologic and psychological symptoms in this patient suggest a more generalized defect of the central nervous system in this syndrome than has been observed previously. Recognition of the condition is of importance because it requires specific therapeutic measures (e.g. for diabetes insipidus), and because of the genetic and prognostic implications.