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Dehydration

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Prevention:

Even when healthy, drink plenty of fluid every day. Drink more when the weather is hot or you are exercising.

Carefully monitor someone who is ill, especially an infant, child, or older adult. If you believe that dehydration is developing, consult a doctor before the person becomes moderately or severely dehydrated. Begin fluid replacement as soon as vomiting and diarrhea start -- DO NOT wait for signs of dehydration.

Always encourage the person to drink during an illness, and remember that a person's fluid needs are greater when that person has fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. The easiest signs to monitor are urine output (there should be frequent wet diapers or trips to the bathroom), saliva in the mouth, and tears when crying.

References:

Porter SC. The value of parental report for diagnosis and management of dehydration in the emergency department. Ann Emerg Med . 2003; 41(2): 196-205.

Guerrant RL. Practice guidelines for the management of infectious diarrhea. Clin Infec Dis . 2001; 32(3): 331-351.

Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness. American Academy of Pediatrics. Climatic heat stress and the exercising child and adolescent. Pediatrics . 2000; 106(1 Pt 1): 158-159.

• Review Date: 6/13/2006
• Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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