Diuretic

A diuretic is any drug that elevates the rate of urination and thus provides a means of forced diuresis (the increased formation of urine by the kidney).

Diuresis may be due to a huge number of causes including metabolic conditions such as diabetes mellitus (in which the increased glucose level in the blood causes water to be lost in the urine); substances in food and drink (such as coffee, tea, and alcoholic beverages); and specific diuretic drugs.

All diuretics increase the excretion of water from bodies, although each class of diuretic does so in a distinct way. In medicine, diuretics are used to treat heart failure, liver cirrhosis, hypertension and certain kidney diseases.