Symptoms and Special Care for Dehydration
Symptoms of dehydration
- Sed. It is one of the first symptoms of the need for water in the body. This feeling drives us to drink the water we need. However, there are two population groups in which this mechanism is not sufficient: in infants, who can not show it or get the water they need for themselves, and the elderly, where the sensation of thirst diminishes even if they needed water intake .
- Decreased urination. Urinating less and less frequently. This is a consequence of the efforts of the kidney to concentrate urine and remove the little water as possible.
- Dry skin. The skin loses its elasticity and in extreme cases produce what he calls the “sign of the fold” by pinching the skin, the back of the hand for example, the skin is elevated, wrinkled and takes too long to return to their place.
In addition, the skin is cold and pale. The skin condition is a valuable indicator in children than in adults and elderly by the natural loss of skin elasticity characteristic of the age.
- Dry mucous membranes: as dry skin, occurs in the absence of extracellular water. Decreases or blocks the formation of mucus and dry out the nasal passages. Decreased production of saliva and mouth feel thick.
- Tiredness, dizziness and confusion. The brain receives less oxygen to decrease the amount of circulating blood. Water shortage affects the entire body, also reducing blood volume, which lowers blood pressure and cardiac output. To compensate for low blood oxygen reaching the cells, it causes increased heart rate and blood pulse.
- If the loss of water and electrolytes progresses, hypovolemic shock can happen (for losses exceeding 15-25% of blood volume), which is a serious situation that requires urgent treatment and can lead to coma and death without sufficient blood supply to different organs and tissues that are injured.
Special care
The dehydration is more dangerous in children and the elderly and sick people.
In infants: an infant is particularly acute dehydration. The most common cause is the loss of water through vomiting or diarrhea, or lack of water intake or by taking little water or bottles ready to provide you with the highest concentration of milk powder which corresponds to the amount of water.
The dehydrated baby Fewer wet diapers, (normal is that the wet every 3 to 4 hours) and urine is darker, the skin is less elastic, the mouth and tongue are dry, sunken eyes, is irritable and crying without tears. The fontanelles (areas still without ossification of the skull) are stranded, lost weight, reduced the alert level (which may coma in severe cases) and may have high fever.