Dehydration occurs when the loss of fluid by the body exceeds its intake. As a result, the general functioning of the body is impaired. Sometimes this leads to irreversible consequences.
The human body is more than 60% water.
Dehydration leads to the loss of not only fluids, "washed out" important salts. Shifting water-salt equilibrium is a serious problem, especially for children and the elderly.
Causes of water loss
The role of water in the body is enormous. Metabolic processes are performed in the aquatic environment. What is water - it's blood and lymph, tears, sweat and saliva, juices of the digestive system, elements of body secretions and more. Losing 10% of fluid is life-threatening. Dehydration can lead to death after 3-7 days, depending on environmental conditions.
Water in terms of importance to humans occupies the next place for oxygen. Its deficiency changes the hormonal background, increases blood concentration, increases acidity, causes stress of the body. Fluid loss is not always associated with illness. The most common symptoms are hot summers, as well as during the stay in countries with hot climates. The causes of water imbalances may be as follows:
- Violation of the drinking regime;
- Solar or heatstroke;
- Increased sweating during exercise;
- increased urination;
- vomiting and diarrhea in poisoning;
- acute blood loss, burns of a large area of defeat.
Drinking and food saturate the body with water. The exchange of fluid occurs through the skin, gastrointestinal system, lungs, breathing, sweat, stool and urine. Dehydration is especially dangerous for newborns. It is developing rapidly. You have to pay attention to the symptoms. At high temperature, vomiting, diarrhea of the baby immediately blow away to show the pediatrician.
This condition is also dangerous for the elderly. Lack of fluids leads to a decrease in the total volume of blood. Violation of the composition of the blood, in turn, contributes to the increase in pressure, the formation of blood clots, slowing down the body's cleaning of life products. Signs of fluid loss are exacerbated by chronic problems - adrenal dysfunction, diabetes, kidney disease.
Key features
Symptoms of dehydration vary depending on the degree of dehydration. A light degree is characterized by the loss of 5-6% of water approximately 1-2 liters. At medium, the body loses 2-4 liters of liquid. A severe, threatening form is a loss of 10% of weight (more than 4 liters).
With isotonic type of dehydration, the salt blood level is normal. The increased concentration of salts is characteristic of a hypertensive species. Hypotonic dehydration is characterized by a decrease in salt concentration. Signs of dehydration may differ slightly in dehydration
If you want to drink, the body is already experiencing a lack of water. But thirst is not the only indicator. A common clinical trait for all types is a loss of body weight of 5%, a meagre secretion of concentrated urine that has a dark yellow color. Symptoms of a lack of fluid for the body may be as follows:
- Strong thirst;
- drying of the mucous oral cavity, viscous saliva;
- Rare urination;
- feeling dizzy, headaches;
- deterioration of well-being, weakness, fainting;
- dry and flabby skin;
- agitation, aggression, fear, hallucinations.
Dehydration is not characterized by one symptom, but manifests itself in a complex. If help is not provided, the disease progresses. From the gastrointestinal system there is heartburn, constipation, colitis. Headache, joint and muscle pain. In the severe advanced stage, fever, confusion, heart palpitation, eye cleavage are possible.
For infants, a dangerous symptom is a sharp loss of body weight, lack of urine. Older children react to a lack of fluid in the body by increasing temperature, dry mucous membranes (language, lips, eyeballs), absence of tears. Parents are obliged to respond in time to the appearance of such signs and seek help from a doctor.
Effects of dehydration
The human body contains water both inside and outside the cell. Intercellular fluid contains sodium. This liquid, first of all, loses the body. The amount of liquid in the cell itself is also reduced, and with it potassium salts. Dehydration is fraught with such consequences.
- Failures in the excretion system, symptoms of kidney damage.
- Violations of food processing and delivery of vital substances.
- The development of hypertension.
- Accelerating aging processes.
- Signs of reduced immunity.
- Development of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, asthma, multiple sclerosis.
Lack of liquid environment leads to impaired blood circulation. As a result, all important organs suffer from a lack of oxygen coming from the vascular channel. The worst consequences are fatalities. Especially quickly irreversible phenomena occur in the child's body. Children have a small mass compared to adults. And children's diseases are often accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea.
The body of the elderly gradually loses its thirst and ability to conserve water. Complications in them are associated with chronic diseases, taking certain medications, age-related hormonal changes, such as menopause.
Excessive fluid intake, when there are already symptoms of dehydration, the body perceives as a signal to accumulate. This leads to an oversaturation of water, cells are inflated and can rupture. The consequences are particularly dangerous for brain cells.
How to fix the problem
Dehydration is easier to prevent than to fight it. To prevent, you need to consume enough liquid during the day. Depending on physical activity, the level of well-being adult person should drink 20-30 ml of water per kilogram of weight.
In most cases, adults have mild or moderate severity. The main goal in providing assistance is to restore the water-salt balance as soon as possible. Actions depend on the age of the victim, the degree and causes of dehydration. Taking into account the symptoms, with a mild degree caused by overheating, the patient is laid in a cool, ventilated place. You can wet clothes, put a wet napkin on the forehead.
Drink give often, but in small portions, literally by a spoon. This is plain or mineral water, a special solution for rehydration. It can be cooked on its own:
-
A litre of boiled water;
- 4 tbsp sugar;
- 1/2 teaspoon salt;
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
If there are more severe symptoms - vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness - treatment is carried out in the hospital using medication. Solutions that remove toxins and electrolytes are injected drip into the bloodstream. As the symptoms subside, the volume of drip infusions decreases, replacing them with oral fluid.
If signs of dehydration are observed in infants or children under the age of 10, urgent medical attention is required. Children often refuse to drink saline. In addition to rehydration fluids, as a drink you can offer sweet tea with lemon, compotes, mucous decoctions of cereals or vegetables. As a source of potassium, raisin broth is useful. This will help the child's body to fight dehydration and regain strength.
The human body needs some fluid every day. This is at least one liter, and with increased physical activity, during illness or hot summer the volume should be increased to 2-3 liters. To avoid the risk of dehydration, this should be remembered.