Severe Dehydration Symptoms and How to Avoid Them

To guarantee that the water they are drinking is clean, many people utilise various water filters. Water alone won't make you rehydrate if you become dehydrated. Here, we'll go through signs of extreme dehydration and ways to prevent getting that dehydrated.

Severe dehydration: What is it?

To function properly, your organs require fluid. When your body loses too much fluid, it becomes dehydrated and is unable to operate normally. Fluid loss can occur due to a number of factors, including inadequate water intake and excessive water loss via sweating, vomiting, diarrhoea, and physical activity.

Your body can draw fluid from other tissues and your blood in times of mild dehydration to tide it over until you consume more liquid. You cannot reabsorb fluid from the blood to support your organs when you are severely dehydrated.

Severe Dehydration Causes.

There are several causes of dehydration that can diminish fluid levels in the body:

• Diarrhea and vomiting. They can both cause you to lose an immense amount of water and electrolytes quickly. In these cases, the body is not holding onto much (if any) fluid, and a doctor should be consulted if symptoms persist.
• Excessive sweating. This causes you to lose fluid through your skin. In hot, humid areas or as a result of vigorous physical activity, sweating can make you lose more water than you are taking in.
• High fevers. A high fever can cause you to become dehydrated. This loss of fluid is compounded if it happens along with diarrhea and vomiting.
• Type 1 diabetes. If it is undiagnosed or uncontrolled it may cause you to lose water through increased urination.

Factors at Risk for Serious Dehydration

Anyone who is losing enormous amounts of fluid without drinking extra can become severely dehydrated. Babies, young children, and older adults fall into the risk categories with the highest level of hazard. When this happens, kids might be unable to express their thirst. Infants may experience gastroenteritis episodes in which they are less able to conserve water. Make sure to pay special attention to your friends and family members who fall within these age groups to make sure they stay hydrated.

Other risk factors include:

• Mobility issues that inhibit a person’s ability to get water for themselves.
• Chronic illnesses that require medication that affects urination, such as uncontrolled diabetes or kidney disease.
• Chronic illnesses that decrease awareness of what the body needs, such as dementia.
• Those who work or exercise outside when it is hot and humid.

Symptoms of Severe Dehydration

There are many symptoms of severe dehydration, including:

• Muscle cramps or contractions in the arms, legs, stomach and back.
• Becoming lethargic or unconscious.
• Low or unstable blood pressure.
• Convulsions.
• Bloated stomach.
• A sunken soft spot on the head (for dehydrated infants).
• Sunken dry eyes, with few or no tears.
• Lack of skin elasticity; it looks wrinkled, and when pinched the skin takes more than two seconds to go back where it started.
• Rapid and deep breathing.
• Lack of urine output (if any, the urine is dark).
• Evidence of hypovolaemic shock.

Complications of Severe Dehydration

As the body loses more and more fluid without replenishing it, severe complications may arise:

• Heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heatstroke.
• Swelling of the brain (cerebral edema).
• Seizures (if electrolytes are out of balance).
• Low blood volume shock (hypovolemic shock).
• Kidney failure.
• Heart failure.
• Coma.
• Death.

Treatment Options

Severe dehydration is a life-threatening issue, and the affected person needs urgent care. Call 911 or take them to the emergency room immediately.

Once the patient sees a doctor, the physician will perform a quick physical exam and take blood and urine samples to make a diagnosis and determine how severe the dehydration is. The doctor will also treat any shock symptoms if present.

Immediate treatment usually involves connecting the patient to an intravenous (IV) saline drip to help the body rehydrate. An IV gets the fluid to your body faster than drinking would. During this time, your medical team will monitor your blood pressure, heart rate and keep an eye on any abnormal kidney function.

The safest way to treat dehydration is to ensure it does not happen in the first place.

Dehydration Prevention Tips

In most cases, severe dehydration is preventable. Here are a few ways to make sure you stay hydrated:

• Take in more fluids, especially in cases where you know you are losing water (vomiting, diarrhea, sweating from exercise, you are ill with a fever, etc.).
• Eat more foods with high water content (fruits and vegetables).
• Track fluid intake for infants, small children and the elderly to ensure they are drinking enough; if they are not, see a doctor right away.
• Bring extra water with you if you are going to be out in humid and hot weather.
• Get your diabetes under control.
• Make sure that water is accessible for those with mobility issues.

Severe dehydration is a serious health concern. Have a rehydration plan to make sure you are drinking enough water (and keep extra with you if you are away from home). Consuming enough fluids throughout the day gives your body the hydration it needs to keep running smoothly.