Every person needs water for the normal functioning of the body. The liquid transports the necessary substances to the tissues and cells of the body, plays an important role in the digestion and thermoregulation process. Lack of moisture can lead to dangerous consequences. The topic of the article is dehydration, symptoms and treatment of the condition.
What is a phenomenon?
The human body contains sixty percent of the fluid. With the loss of even 2% of water, your health worsens. In addition, the mood drops, there is a lack of energy, the work of various organs and systems is disrupted. Mental activity suffers. Poor functioning of the heart muscle. Dehydration, symptoms of pathology are observed in cases where the human body spends more fluid than it consumes.
Juveniles, the elderly, patients suffering from serious diseases are most susceptible to this condition. For them, dehydration is especially dangerous and often fatal.
The mechanism of development of pathology
Before talking about dehydration, symptoms and treatment of an ailment, first you need to find out how dehydration occurs. It is known that a person is able to exist without fluid from three to ten days. However, these indicators vary depending on weather conditions, physical activity and the emotional background of the individual. Dehydration is not in itself an ailment. But it appears as a complication of diseases.
Dehydration and symptoms of this condition pose a threat to both an adult and a child. If, for certain reasons, the human body does not have enough fluid, it begins to take it from the tissues of the body. Consequently, the amount of urine removed is reduced, the individual sweats less. With a severe form of the disease, the cells of the brain and other organs decrease in volume. The result of this process can be coma and other serious disorders.
Causes of dehydration
As factors that can cause this condition, you can list:
- Diseases accompanied by fever.
- Diabetes.
- The consequences of intoxication.
- Infectious pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, which are accompanied by severe diarrhea and attacks of vomiting.
- Loss of a large volume of blood due to mechanical damage, wounds, dysfunctions of female reproductive organs.
- Long exposure to the sun in hot weather.
- Strong sweat due to intense workouts.
- Thermal shock.
- Lack of food or fluid.
- Excessive use of drugs that cause frequent urination.
- Burn.
- Addison's disease.
- Cancerous pathology.
- Abuse of alcohol-containing products, sweets, as well as drinks containing caffeine.
Symptoms of dehydration in an adult and a child depend on the severity of the disease.
Dehydration Stages
There are several stages of the state:
- Mild (it is diagnosed with a loss of not more than 3 percent moisture and does not pose a threat to the patient's life).
- Medium (lack of 6% water).
- Severe form (lack of fluid is 9%). The patient’s life is at risk, he needs medical care in a hospital.
- Critical (loss of 10 percent moisture, in many cases ends in death).
Common signs characteristic of dehydration
Regardless of the reason that triggered this phenomenon, the symptoms of dehydration are as follows:
- Feeling the need for fluid intake.
- Dry feeling in the mouth.
- Decreased urine and sweat.
- Dark skin tone under the eyes.
- Severe dizziness.
- Overwork.
- Urine staining in a dark yellow hue.
- Headache.
- Decreased skin tone.
- Disorders of consciousness.
- BP reduction.
- Decrease in body weight (observed in rare cases).
- High fever (most common in children).
It should be noted that with dehydration, the symptoms in adults and minors are almost the same.
Signs of mild dehydration
This condition is characterized by such manifestations:
- Dry feeling in the mouth.
- Feeling the need for fluid.
- Thick saliva.
- Loss of appetite.
- Urine reduction.
- Feeling overwhelmed and tired.
- The appearance of muscle weakness.
- Unpleasant sensations in the joints and bones.
- The delay of the chair.
- Discomfort in the upper part of the peritoneum.
- Flabbiness and a grayish tint of the skin.
- Headache.
With dehydration, the symptoms indicated above indicate that a person urgently needs to take measures to restore fluid balance. If this does not happen, the disease is able to move on to the next stage.
Moderate Dehydration
This condition provokes a disorder in the functions of several organs and systems. The malaise manifests itself in this way:
- The patient has an acceleration of the heart rhythm.
- The breathing process is disturbed even in the absence of physical activity.
- Body temperature is very high. Antipyretic drugs are not able to reduce it.
- Urine output stops for 12 hours.
Signs of severe dehydration
With severe dehydration, the patient's symptoms are as follows:
- Feeling nauseous.
- Exhausting vomiting.
- Disorder of consciousness.
- Fainting state.
- Puckering of the skin.
Severe dehydration leads to circulatory disorders. This situation is very dangerous.
Consequences posing a threat to the patient's life
Dehydration can cause the following disorders in the body:
- Disorder of the functions of the urinary system.
- Shock state. Pathology is characterized by a pale shade of the skin, an acceleration of the breathing process, sweating, loss of consciousness.
- Fatal outcome in the absence of adequate therapy.
The consequences of chronic lack of water
A lack of fluid can be acute. However, its symptoms are pronounced. However, it happens that a person experiences a slight lack of water, but it is constantly present. And although severe malaise is not observed in this case, the condition is dangerous in that it provokes serious complications. The consequences can be listed:
- Disorder of the digestive system.
- Strong fluctuations in blood pressure.
- Fast aging process in adults.
- Poor immune system function.
- Pathology of the liver, urinary organs, joints and bones.
- The development of diseases such as sclerosis, trembling paralysis, cancerous tumors, senile dementia.
- Problems with conception.
Signs of the nervous system
Continuing to talk about what symptoms are most noted during dehydration, it is worth noting that this condition has a negative effect on the emotional sphere and mental abilities of the individual. In this case, the following pathological phenomena occur:
- Fatigue.
- Nervousness and aggressiveness.
- Lack of energy.
- Anxiety.
- Depression.
- Deterioration in sleep quality.
- Difficulties with doing mental work.
- A sense of need for products containing caffeine and ethyl alcohol. It is known that these drinks enhance dehydration. Therefore, craving for them is a brain signal that a person needs water.
- Dreams in which seas, rivers or lakes are present.
These signs are characteristic of chronic dehydration. They indicate that as a result of illness or an improper lifestyle, a person does not receive enough fluid.
Dehydration in the expectant mother
Symptoms of dehydration in women are often found during gestation.
They are caused by the following reasons:
- Excessive physical activity and inadequate fluid intake.
- Diarrhea and bouts of vomiting as a result of intestinal infections, toxicosis, or poisoning by spoiled foods.
- Traveling by plane. Dehydration in this case is caused by the refusal to use a normal amount of water due to the inability to visit the bathroom on time (in pregnant women, urination is very frequent). In addition, a low level of air humidity upsets the fluid balance in a woman's body.
- Overheating and prolonged exposure to the sun.
It is important for the expectant mother to drink enough water. After all, malaise can affect not only her well-being, but also the condition of the fetus.
Dehydration in minors
When the child is dehydrated, the symptoms are as follows:
- Dry skin, lips and tongue.
- Lack of tears.
- Fatigue. The kid becomes lethargic, does not show activity.
- Urine reduction.
- Loss of appetite.
- High fever and heart rate acceleration.
If parents notice the appearance of these symptoms in the child, they urgently need to call an ambulance team. Indeed, for minors, dehydration is especially dangerous and can quickly lead to death.
How to alleviate the condition of the patient?
Assistance activities are as follows:
- The person must be laid on a flat surface.
- It is desirable that he be in a cool room in which air circulates well. Clothing is recommended to be removed or unfastened.
- The patient is given a drink often, but in small portions, in small sips. The balance of fluid in the body helps restore normal water, mineral water, juice in frozen form.
- Special means should be used (Regidron, Orasan, Hydrovit).
- Wet tissue is applied to the forehead. It is advisable to take a shower. If this is not possible, wipe the body and face with cool water.
Sometimes dehydration can be the result of frequent and loose stools. This occurs as a result of intestinal infection or intoxication by spoiled foods. If dehydration occurs with diarrhea, the symptoms of this condition are relieved by taking medications that stop the diarrhea and the vital functions of viruses.
How to prevent the development of pathology?
To avoid dehydration, you need to:
- Refuse training in hot weather.
- Not in the sun for a long time.
- Do not get involved in sugar and alcohol.
- Do not forget about the correct drinking regimen.
Talking about dehydration, symptoms in adults and treatment of this condition, it should be added that pathology of moderate to severe degree requires treatment in a hospital setting. You can cope with signs of mild dehydration on your own.