Dehydration

or "laxatives " пїЅ Diuretics make people urinate a lot. Laxatives can cause a lot of watery bowel movements.

Some things keep people from taking in enough water. For example, people might not drink or eat if they have an upset stomach or sore throat. пїЅ пїЅ

What are the symptoms of dehydration? " пїЅ People with mild dehydration might not notice any symptoms. пїЅ пїЅ

As dehydration gets worse, it can cause symptoms such as: пїЅ пїЅ

Feeling thirsty
Urinating less often, or having dark yellow or brown urine
A dry mouth or cracked lips
No tears when a child cries
Feeling tired or confused
Feeling dizzy or light-headed
Eyes that look sunken in the face
A "sunken fontanel" (in babies) " пїЅ A fontanel is a gap between the bones in a baby's skull. When babies are dehydrated, the fontanel on the top of their head can look or feel caved in.

Severe dehydration can make people stop breathing normally or go into a coma. пїЅ пїЅ

Should I call a doctor or nurse? " пїЅ Call the doctor or nurse if you or your child has any symptoms of dehydration. пїЅ пїЅ

You should also call if you or your child: пїЅ пїЅ

Has diarrhea that lasts more than a few days
Has vomiting that lasts more than one day
Can't keep any fluids down
Vomits blood or has bloody diarrhea
Is urinating much more than usual
Hasn't had anything to drink in many hours
Hasn't needed to urinate in the past 6 to 8 hours (in adults and older children), or if your baby or young child hasn't had a wet diaper for 4 to 6 hours

Is there a test for dehydration? " пїЅ Yes. Doctors can do blood and urine tests to check for dehydration and see how severe it is. Your doctor might also do tests to look for the cause of the dehydration. пїЅ пїЅ

How is dehydration treated? " пїЅ Dehydration is treated with fluids. пїЅ пїЅ

People with severe dehydration usually need to be treated in the hospital. Treatment involves getting fluids through an "IV, " пїЅ which is a thin tube that goes into the vein. пїЅ пїЅ

People with mild dehydration can usually treat it on their own by drinking fluids. You'll know that the treatment is working when: пїЅ пїЅ

You urinate more often and your urine looks pale yellow or clear.
Your baby has more wet diapers.

Some fluids help treat dehydration better than water, because they give the body the right amount of water and salts. People should use the following fluids to treat dehydration: пїЅ пїЅ

Older children and adults can use sports drinks.
You should give your baby or young child an "oral rehydration solution," such as Pedialyte. You can buy this in a store or pharmacy. Try to give your child a few teaspoons of fluid every few minutes. If your baby won't drink it from a bottle or cup, you can feed him or her with a spoon or syringe.
Babies who breastfeed should continue to breastfeed.

Can dehydration be prevented? " пїЅ Yes. To help prevent dehydration, you can: пїЅ пїЅ

Drink plenty of fluids, especially if you are sick and have a fever.
Give your baby or young child an oral rehydration solution as soon as he or she starts vomiting or having diarrhea.
Drink extra fluids when you exercise or when it's hot out.

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. пїЅ пїЅ

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. пїЅ пїЅ

Topic 16940 Version 3.0 пїЅ пїЅ

Release: 22.8 - C22.206 пїЅ пїЅ

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Dehydration

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