Dehydration

DEHYDRATION

            When fluid loss exceeds fluid gain, the body goes in a state of dehydration which strains almost every vital system of the body. Any of the pathological condition of vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, excessive urination or decreased intake of water could result in dehydration. Fortunately, this could be reversed by taking solutions taking high osmolarity as this would make the thirst centers of the body in brain to stimulate in the patient of feeling of scarcity of water called as thirst.

CAUSES: High blood glucose causes high blood concentration and the volume is raised due to which more urination occurs, this could lead to excessive water loss from the body. Also in diarrhea or vomiting, possibly due to eating contaminated food, the body looses much of its water content. In extremely hot weather, the body might loose excessive water by skin i.e. sweating. Skin burns causes excessive loss of protein content of blood due to which water, along with proteins, also moves out from the burn sites i.e. edema thus aggravating dehydration.

RISK FACTORS: Dehydration poses potential threat to heart complications including hypotension and angina. Blood volume depletion could lead to increased stress on heart to force it to pump with extra effort to utilize maximally what is left of the blood. Moreover, medications the heart patients might be taking would render this compensatory response ineffective leading to complete inability to maintained sufficient blood supply to all the tissues of the body, most vitally to the brain, in an attempt to maintain stable body functioning. Children and persons with high metabolic activity such as sports men are more susceptible to dehydration.

SYMPTOMS: Easy fatigue ability, sleepiness, dry mouth, decreased urination, headache, lack of sweating, sticky mucous, hypotension i.e. low blood pressure, fast heart beat rate and in extreme conditions unconsciousness and fever might be there. Dark yellow urine of high concentration and low volume is another symptom of dehydration. Decreased mental functioning and cognitive responsive might be a signal to dehydration.

TESTS:

·         Urine analysis to determine urine volume

·         Blood test to evaluate protein content of the blood and electrolyte quantities