Dehydration

Answer 1

Dehydration takes place when your body loses more fluids than you drink. If it’s not treated on time, it can worsen and lead to serious problems such as heat-related emergencies and kidney problems. And water is vital for every cell in the body to work correctly and is an essential energizing ingredient; without enough, your body can’t function properly. It can be mild or severe depends on how much fluid you intake and your body loses. You can treat mild dehydration at home, but severe one needs to be treated in a hospital.

Answer 2

Definition

Dehydration means your body does not have as much water and fluids as it should. Dehydration can be caused by losing too much fluid, not drinking enough water or fluids, or both. Vomiting and diarrhea are common causes.

Infants and children are more susceptible to dehydration than adults because of their smaller body weights and higher turnover of water and electrolytes. The elderly and those with illnesses are also at higher risk.

Dehydration is classified as mild, moderate, or severe based on how much of the body's fluid is lost or not replenished. When severe, dehydration is a life-threatening emergency.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Your body may lose too much fluids from:

• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Excessive urine output, such as with uncontrolled Diabetes or diuretic use
• Excessive sweating (for example, from exercise)
• Fever

You might not drink enough fluids because of:

• Nausea
• Loss of appetite due to illness
• Sore throat or mouth sores

Dehydration in sick children is often a combination of both -- refusing to eat or drink anything while also losing fluid from vomiting, diarrhea, or fever.

Symptoms

• Dry or sticky mouth
• Low or no urine output; concentrated urine appears dark yellow
• Not producing tears
• Sunken eyes
• Markedly sunken fontanelles (the soft spot on the top of the head) in an infant
• Lethargic or comatose (with severe dehydration)

In addition to the symptoms of actual dehydration, you may also have vomiting, diarrhea, or the feeling that you "can't keep anything down," all of which could be causing the dehydration.

Signs and tests

A physical examination may also show signs of:

• Low blood pressure
• Blood pressure that drops when you go from lying down to standing
• Rapid heart rate
• Poor skin turgor -- the skin may lack its normal elasticity and sag back into position slowly when pinched up into a fold by the doctor; normally, skin springs right back into position
• Delayed capillary refill
• Shock

Tests include:

• Blood chemistries (to check electrolytes, especially sodium, potassium, and bicarbonate levels)
• Urine specific gravity (a high specific gravity indicates significant dehydration)
• BUN (blood urea nitrogen -- may be elevated with dehydration)
• Creatinine (may be elevated with dehydration)
• Complete blood count (CBC) to look for signs of concentrated blood

Other tests may be done to determine the specific cause of the dehydration (for example, a blood sugar to check for diabetes).

Treatment

Drinking fluids is usually sufficient for mild dehydration. It is better to have frequent, small amounts of fluid (using a teaspoon or syringe for an infant or child) rather than trying to force large amounts of fluid at one time. Drinking too much fluid at once can bring on more vomiting.

Electrolyte solutions or freezer pops are especially effective. These are available at pharmacies. Sport drinks contain a lot of sugar and can cause or worsen diarrhea. In infants and children, avoid using water as the primary replacement fluid.

Intravenousfluids and hospitalization may be necessary for moderate to severe dehydration. The doctor will try to identify and then treat the cause of the dehydration.

Most cases of stomach viruses (also called viral gastroenteritis) tend to resolve on their own after a few days. See also: diarrhea

Expectations (prognosis)

When dehydration is recognized and treated promptly, the outcome is generally good.

Complications

Untreated severe dehydration may result in seizures, permanent brain damage, or death.

Calling your health care provider

Call 911 if you or your child have the following symptoms

• Dizziness
• Lightheadedness
• Lethargy
• Confusion

Call your doctor right away if you or your child has any of the following symptoms:

• Not producing tears
• Sunken eyes
• Little or no urine output for 8 hours
• Dry skin that sags back into position slowly when pinched up into a fold
• Dry mouth or dry eyes
• Sunken soft-spot on the top of your infant's head
• Fast-beating heart
• Blood in the stool or vomit
• Diarrhea or vomiting (in infants less than 2 months old)
• Listlessness and inactiveness

Also call your doctor if you are not sure whether your attempts to give your child proper fluids are working.

Also call your doctor if:

• An illness is combined with the inability to keep down any fluids
• Vomiting has been going on for longer than 24 hours in an adult or longer than 12 hours in a child
• Diarrhea has lasted longer than 5 days in an adult or child
• Your infant or child is much less active than usual or is irritable
• You or your child have excessive urination, especially if there is a family history of diabetes or you are taking diuretics

Prevention

Even when healthy, drink plenty of fluid every day. Drink more when the weather is hot or you are exercising.

Carefully monitor someone who is ill, especially an infant, child, or older adult. If you believe that dehydration is developing, consult a doctor before the person becomes moderately or severely dehydrated. Begin fluid replacement as soon as vomiting and diarrhea start -- DO NOT wait for signs of dehydration.

Always encourage the person to drink during an illness, and remember that a person's fluid needs are greater when that person has fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. The easiest signs to monitor are urine output (there should be frequent wet diapers or trips to the bathroom), saliva in the mouth, and tears when crying.

References

Barkin RM, Ward DG. Infectious diarrheal diseases and dehydration. In: Marx J, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. St Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2006:chap 171.

Landry GL. Heat injuries. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 688.

Answer 3

Definition

Dehydration means your body does not have as much water and fluids as it should.

Dehydration can be mild, moderate, or severe based on how much of the body's fluid is lost or not replenished. When it is severe, dehydration is a life-threatening emergency.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Dehydration can be caused by losing too much fluid, not drinking enough water or fluids, or both.

Your body may lose too much fluids from:

• Excessive sweating (for example, from exercise)
• Excessive urine output, such as with uncontrolled diabetes or diuretic use
• Fever
• Vomiting or diarrhea

You might not drink enough fluids because of:

• Loss of appetite due to illness
• Nausea
• Sore throat or mouth sores

Dehydration in sick children is often a combination of refusing to eat or drink anything and losing fluid from vomiting, diarrhea, or fever.

Infants and children are more likely to become dehydrated than adults because they weigh less and their bodies turn over water and electrolytes more quickly. The elderly and people with illnesses are also at higher risk.

Symptoms

• Dry or sticky mouth
• Lethargy or coma (with severe dehydration)
• Low or no urine output; urine looks dark yellow
• No tears
• Sunken eyes
• Sunken fontanelles (the soft spot on the top of the head) in an infant

You may also have vomiting, diarrhea, or the feeling that you "can't keep anything down." All of these can be causing the dehydration.

Signs and tests

A physical examination may also show signs of:

• Blood pressure that drops when you go from lying down to standing
• Delayed capillary refill
• Low blood pressure
• Poor skin turgor -- the skin may not be as elastic as normal and sag back into position slowly when the health care provider pinches it up into a fold (normally, skin springs right back into place)
• Rapid heart rate
• Shock

Tests include:

• Blood chemistries (to check electrolytes, especially sodium, potassium, and bicarbonate levels)
• Blood urea nitrogen (BUN)
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Creatinine
• Urine specific gravity

Other tests may be done to determine the cause of the dehydration (for example, blood sugar level to check for diabetes).

Treatment

Drinking fluids is usually enough for mild dehydration. It is better to drink small amounts of fluid often (using a teaspoon or syringe for an infant or child), instead of trying to force large amounts of fluid at one time. Drinking too much fluid at once can bring on more vomiting.

Electrolyte solutions or freezer pops are very effective. These are available at pharmacies. Sports drinks contain a lot of sugar and can cause or worsen diarrhea. In infants and children, avoid using water as the primary replacement fluid.

Intravenousfluids and a hospital stay may be needed for moderate to severe dehydration. The health care provider will try to identify and then treat the cause of the dehydration.

Most cases of stomach viruses (also called viral gastroenteritis) tend to get better on their own after a few days. See also: Diarrhea

See also: Heat emergencies

Expectations (prognosis)

When dehydration is found and treated quickly, the outcome is usually good.

Complications

Untreated severe dehydration may lead to:

• Death
• Permanent brain damage
• Seizures

Calling your health care provider

Call 911 if you or your child have the following symptoms:

• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Lethargy
• Light-headedness

Call your health care provider right away if you or your child has any of the following symptoms:

• Blood in the stool or vomit
• Diarrhea or vomiting (in infants less than 2 months old)
• Dry mouth or dry eyes
• Dry skin that sags back into position slowly when pinched up into a fold
• Fast-beating heart
• Listlessness and inactiveness
• Little or no urine output for 8 hours
• No tears
• Sunken eyes
• Sunken soft spot on the top of your infant's head

Call your health care provider if you are not sure whether you are giving your child enough fluids.

Also call your health care provider if:

• You or your child cannot keep down fluids during an illness
• Vomiting has been going on for longer than 24 hours in an adult or longer than 12 hours in a child
• Diarrhea has lasted longer than 5 days in an adult or child
• Your infant or child is much less active than usual or is irritable
• You or your child is urinating much more than normal, especially if there is a family history of diabetes or you are taking diuretics

Prevention

Even when you are healthy, drink plenty of fluids every day. Drink more when the weather is hot or you are exercising.

Carefully monitor someone who is ill, especially an infant, child, or older adult. If you believe that the person is getting dehydrated, call your health care provider before the person becomes dehydrated. Begin fluid replacement as soon as vomiting and diarrhea start -- DO NOT wait for signs of dehydration.

Always encourage a person who is sick to drink fluids. Remember that fluid needs are greater with a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. The easiest signs to monitor are urine output (there should be frequent wet diapers or trips to the bathroom), saliva in the mouth, and tears when crying.

References

Chen L. Infectious diarrheal diseases and dehydration. In: Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, et al, eds. Rosena€™s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2009:chap 171.

Greenbaum LA. Deficit therapy. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics.10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 54.

Reviewed By

Review Date: 08/15/2011

Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

Answer 4

Dehydration cause diarrhea vomiting sweating peeing and you are doing breathing etc chronic dehydration can cause death (if you get chronic dehydration you will die)

Answer 5

Can dehydration cause abdominal pain