Is nephrogenic diabetes insipidus inherited ?
When nephrogenic diabetes insipidus results from mutations in the AVPR2 gene, the condition has an X-linked recessive pattern of inheritance. The AVPR2 gene is located on the X chromosome, which is one of the two sex chromosomes. In males (who have only one X chromosome), one altered copy of the gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the condition. In females (who have two X chromosomes), a mutation usually has to occur in both copies of the gene to cause the disorder. However, some females who carry a single mutated copy of the AVPR2 gene have features of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, including polyuria and polydipsia. A characteristic of X-linked inheritance is that fathers cannot pass X-linked traits to their sons.  When nephrogenic diabetes insipidus is caused by mutations in the AQP2 gene, it can have either an autosomal recessive or, less commonly, an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. In autosomal recessive inheritance, both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the condition. In autosomal dominant inheritance, one mutated copy of the AQP2 gene in each cell is sufficient to cause the disorder.