Unusual Signs of Dehydration | Complete Guide to Diagnosis & Remedies
A person can get dehydrated when he doesn’t have the necessary amount of fluids in his body. If a person doesn’t drink water or other liquids for an extended period of time, he can have severe health problems. In some cases, the person has to be hospitalized.
What is dehydration?
When is dehydrated the body doesn't have enough water to function as it is supposed to. The dehydration occurs when the body loses too much fluid. It happens when a person is sweating a lot, for example.Dehydration causes
[custom_list type="check"]- high fever
- health complications because of diabetes
- if a person doesn’t consume enough water, especially in hot summer days.
- intense exercising
- drinking large amounts of alcohol
- having diarrhea or vomiting
- consuming diuretics
Dehydration symptoms
If a person is mildly or moderately dehydrated he might: [custom_list type="check"]- have headaches
- feel thirsty
- feel dizzy and light-headed
- have a darker color of urine
- feel the mouth and the tongue dry
- not urinate at all
- become cranky and confused
- be very thirsty
- have a low blood pressure and increased heart rate
- have a very dry mouth
- breath faster than usually
- have fever
Dehydration treatment
If a mild dehydration occurs, it can be fixed if the person drinks a lot of fluids. If you have reasons to believe you are dehydrated, you can prepare a solution with six teaspoons of sugar and half a teaspoon of salt in one liter of boiled water. You can get similar solutions from any pharmacy. Make sure you don’t drink caffeine and alcohol; these beverages can make you more dehydrated. Try to avoid drinking on a regular basis beverages with a lot of sugar and additives. They do not hydrate the body, and the calorie intake is very high. If you have severe dehydration, you need to go to the hospital. Here the medical staff will hydrate you with fluids through an intravenous drip.Prevent dehydration
You need to drink enough water every day. Drink plenty of it in hot weather, after you exercise or after an illness. If you are severely dehydrated, you should start immediately drinking a lot of water or specially prepared solutions. Go to your health provider or the emergency room if you have acute symptoms.[1]Risk factors
Some people have higher risks to get seriously ill if they get dehydrated:Older adults
When people get old, they are more likely to get dehydrated. The organism’s capacity to preserve water is reduced. The thirst can be less acute, and the old person has a hard time to adjust to temperature changes. Unfortunately, many older people, especially those living alone or in specialized nursing centers, eat and drink less than younger people do. If these older adults have severe health conditions and they are neglected for a long period, it can lead to dehydration issues. This situation occurs with older people under medication, with dementia or diabetes. Specialists discovered in different studies that seniors can deal with defects in osmoreceptors and baroreceptors and changes in the central regulatory mechanisms. Old people have low water reserves, and it is recommended for them to drink water often, even if they are not thirsty and to increase the salt intake when they sweat. If the elderly follow these recommendations, they can prevent stroke, sudden hypotension or chronic fatigue. They avoid this way hospitalization as well.Infants and children
The little ones are very vulnerable to dehydration. They can lose a lot of fluids if they have diarrhea, for example.Endurance athletes
Any person who exercises can get dehydrated, especially in hot weather or at high altitudes. But athletes have an increased risk because they train harder. Athletes who participate in mountain climbing expeditions, marathons, triathlons, and cycling tournaments can become dehydrated very fast. During the practice, their body can lose more water than it can absorb. With every hour they exercise, the fluid debt will increase. It is important for them to drink water very often to avoid severe dehydration. Sweating is the way to normalize a high body temperature.But when a lot of sweating is involved, people experience hypohydration. That means they lose electrolytes and the plasma’s volume is reduced. All these lead to increased plasma osmolality. Plasma osmolality gives information about the body's electrolyte-water balance.People with chronic illnesses
People with diabetes need to drink water often. Those with kidney disease and heart failure can get dehydrated as well. When you have a sore throat or a cold is recommended to drink water and tea often. People who make fever can also get dehydrated.People working or exercising outside in hot, humid weather
The humid and hot weather can stimulate the body to lose fluids faster. Because the body has a high temperature, the need to drink water is increased.People living at high altitudes
When you live, work or exercise at high altitudes you can deal with different health problems. Dehydration occurs when the body tries to adjust to high altitude. The person does that by urinating often and breathing faster. It seems like, the faster a person breathes to maintain the necessary oxygen levels in the blood, the more water vapor that person exhales. After the body gets used to the hot environment, it can adapt, and the sodium loss is conserved. The risk for heat stress health problems is reduced. If you drink plenty of water during this process of heat acclimatization, will not help your body to adapt faster to the heat. But you can at least avoid a mild dehydration. Even if mild, this dehydration can increase the level of cortisol, which will make you sweat more, and will generate electrolyte imbalances.[2]Complications
Dehydration can severely affect a person's health if not addressed in time:Swelling of the brain
After an extended period of dehydration, the body absorbs water really fast into the cells. This is the reason why some cells can swell, or they can break. The situation is severe when the brain’s cells are the one affected.Low blood volume shock
Because of this shock, many people lost their lives. The low blood volume means a low blood pressure and less oxygen in the body.Seizures
Potassium and sodium are the electrolytes that help the cells to communicate to one another, through electrical signals. If these electrolytes are out of balance, the messages between cells lead to involuntary muscle contractions. In some cases, the person lost the consciousness.Coma and death
If dehydration is not treated in time, there is a risk for that person to die.Heat injury
Make sure you drink enough fluids when you're exercising to avoid a thermal injury. You can experience mild or severe heat cramps or, in some cases, life-threatening heatstroke.Kidney failure
This dangerous health problem occurs when the kidneys cannot remove the excess fluids and the toxins from the blood.[3]Dehydration in children
A child can get dehydrated because of fluid loss or because he is not drinking enough water. If dehydration is severe, you might need to take the child to the hospital for medical assistance.Causes of dehydration
A child can get dehydrated because of gastroenteritis. The little one can lose the body fluids very fast. If your child is vomiting or he is having diarrhea, he might end up being dehydrated as well. If he refuses to drink water for long periods of time, he could also get dehydrated. Teenagers can dehydrate quickly if they have a sustained physical activity and they sweat a lot.Dehydration symptoms in children
A baby who is dehydrated will urinate less. You can verify that by checking the nappies if they are less wet than usual. A dehydrated child can display these symptoms: [custom_list type="check"]- fewer tears when he cries
- feeling thirsty
- looking pale
- weighing less because of the fluid loss
- feeling tired and without energy
- the fontanelle in a small baby can be depressed
- dark spots under eyes and dry mouth
- you feel something is wrong with your child
- the child is vomiting, and he has diarrhea for a long period
- the child or the baby has the symptoms described above
Treatment for dehydration
[custom_list type="check"]- As a fast remedy, you can give your child more water, or oral rehydration solution. You can freeze the solution and serve it as an icy pole.
- Make sure you give water to the baby in small amounts, but often.
- If it is necessary, don’t hesitate to go to the hospital with him, to be hydrated faster.
- The medical staff can hydrate the little one the intravenous way.