Dehydration - Causes, Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment

Water makes up at least two-thirds of the human body. It plays a large part in your normal functions, such as lubricating your joints and eyes, keeping your skin healthy by eliminating toxins, and facilitating proper digestion. Once the water in your body is reduced, it needs to be replaced because an imbalance between the salts and sugar in your body can affect the way you will perform.

Dehydration is a condition which occurs when you lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn't have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. Usually, it is due to exercise or disease, but mostly, it is due to high environmental temperature.

It occurs mostly when there isn't enough water to replace what's lost throughout the day. Your system literally dries out.

The Causes of Dehydration are:

• Diarrhea and Vomitting: Severe diarrhea can cause a tremendous loss of water in a short amount of time. If you nauseate along with diarrhea, you tend to lose even more fluids and minerals. Children and infants are mostly at risk.
• Excessive Sweating: Apparently, you lose water when you sweat. If you engage in vigorous activities and don't replace fluids as you go along, you may become dehydrated. Hot, humid weather increases the rate at which you sweat and the amount of fluid you lose. You can also become dehydrated in winter if you don't replace lost fluids.  
• Fever
• Increased Urination or Diabetes: If you urinate longer than usual, then you are at the risk of dehydration. Also, it may be due to undiagnosed or uncontrolled diabetes. Certain medications, such as diuretics and some blood pressure medications, also can lead to dehydration, generally because they cause you to urinate or perspire more than normal.

How do you know that you are Dehydrated?

The symptoms of dehydration may be mild, moderate or serious depending on how much weight is lost when body fluids are lost. Some are hereby listed below.

• Thirst
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Infrequent passage of small amount of urine
• Low level of consciousness
• Rapid or Weak pulse
• Dry mouth
• Dark yellowish urine
• Dry skin
• Constipation
• Low blood pressure
• Fever

However, contact your doctor if symptoms continue despite drinking fluids. If you suspect that your baby or toddler is dehydrated.

You should also see your doctor if your baby has had six or more series of diarrhea in the past 24 hours, or if they have vomited three or more times in the past 24 hours.

 How do you Prevent Dehydration?

To prevent dehydration, drink plenty of fluids and eat foods that are high in water such as fruits and vegetables. Fluids can be obtained not just only from water but also from other beverages and foods.

In most cases, you may need to take i n more fluids than usual.

You need to drink additional water in hot or humid weather to help lower your body temperature and to replace what you lose through sweating. You may also need extra water in cold weather if you sweat while wearing insulated clothing. Heated, indoor air can cause your skin to lose moisture, increasing your daily fluid requirements. And altitudes greater than 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) also can affect how much water your body needs. If dehydration occurs when you're exercising in hot weather, get into a shady area, recline, and start drinking water or a sports drink. Young athletes should be encouraged to let their coaches know if they're having symptoms of dehydration.

Suitable Treatments for Dehydration?

The only effective treatment for dehydration is to replace lost fluids and lost electrolytes. The best approach to dehydration treatment depends on age, the severity of dehydration and its cause.

Your doctor can offer specific suggestions for treating dehydration in your child, but some general guidelines include the following:

• Use an oral rehydration solution. Unless your doctor advises otherwise, use an oral rehydration solution for infants and children who have diarrhea, vomiting or fever. These solutions contain water and salts in specific proportions to replenish both fluids and electrolytes. They're also designed for easier digestion. Oral rehydration products are readily available in most drugstores, and many pharmacies carry their own brands. Begin giving fluids early in the course of an illness instead of waiting until the situation becomes urgent.
  
• Continue to breast-feed. Don't stop breast-feeding when your baby is sick, but offer your baby an oral rehydration solution in a bottle as well. If you give your baby formula, try switching to one that's lactose-free until diarrhea improves — lactose can be difficult to digest during diarrhea, making diarrhea worse.
• Avoid certain foods and drinks. The best liquid for a sick child is an oral rehydration solution — plain water doesn't provide essential electrolytes, and although sports drinks replenish electrolytes, they replace those lost through sweating, not through diarrhea or vomiting. Milk, caffeinated beverages, fruit juices or gelatins don't relieve dehydration and may make children's diarrhea symptoms worse.

 

Most adults with mild to moderate dehydration from diarrhea, vomiting or fever can improve their condition by drinking more water or other liquids. Certain liquids, such as fruit juices, carbonated beverages or coffee, can make diarrhea worse.

For exercise-related dehydration, cool water is your best bet. Sports drinks containing electrolytes and a carbohydrate solution also may be helpful. There's no need for salt tablets — too much salt can lead to hypernatremic dehydration, a condition in which your body not only is short of water but also carries an excess of sodium. Avoid drinking carbonated beverages, such as colas or other types of soda.

Children and adults who are severely dehydrated should be treated by emergency personnel arriving in an ambulance or in a hospital emergency room, where they can receive salts and fluids through a vein (intravenously) rather than by mouth. Intravenous hydration provides the body with water and essential nutrients much more quickly than oral solutions do — something that's essential in life-threatening situations.