Definition

Dehydration is characterized by the loss of significant amounts of body fluids. It occurs when more fluid is lost than is ingested or consumed, and this fluid loss can affect the body's performance.

About 55-78% of the human body is water. Newborns have about 78% water, while children aged one year and older have 68% water. Men have 60% water in adults, while women have 55%.

Water has an important role in the body, especially in the summer. Water can prevent the body from overheating. During exercise, your muscles generate heat. To keep from overheating, the body needs to get rid of the heat, and one way is through sweat.

Excessive sweating can reduce water content and cause water loss in the body, resulting in a fluid deficiency if not balanced with water consumption.

Causes

Dehydration occurs when you do not drink enough water or lose fluids quickly due to excessive sweating, vomiting, or diarrhea. Furthermore, some medications can have a diuretic effect, increasing the frequency of urination and leading to dehydration.

Certain diseases
Diseases that cause persistent vomiting or diarrhea can lead to dehydration. This occurs because vomiting and diarrhea can cause the body to lose excessive fluid.

Apart from fluids, the body will also lose electrolytes. Electrolytes are electrically charged minerals that play an important role in the functioning the body's organs, such as brain and muscle activity. Electrolytes can be found in the blood, urine, and other bodily fluids.

Vomiting and diarrhea that do not receive proper treatment can lead to complications such as coma and death.

Sweating
Sweating is a natural process for cooling the body. When you feel hot, the sweat glands activate to release sweat from the body in an attempt to cool it down. It works by evaporation.

As a drop of sweat evaporates from the skin, a certain amount of heat is lost. The more sweat is produced, the more heat is lost from the body, and the body cools down. Sweating also helps to hydrate the skin and maintain electrolyte balance in the body.

However, if sweat production is excessive, the body will lose a lot of fluid, resulting in dehydration. In medical terms, excessive sweating is known as hyperhidrosis.

Fever
If you have a fever, your body loses fluid through the skin's surface to reduce your body temperature. Often, a fever can cause you to sweat a lot, so you can become dehydrated if you do not drink enough water.

Urinating
Urination is the body's natural way of eliminating toxins. Some conditions can cause increased urine production and frequency of urination, such as:

• Uncontrolled diabetes
• Use of diuretics, antihistamines, blood pressure medications, and antipsychotics

If you do not replace the fluid lost due to excessive urination, you risk becoming dehydrated.

Risk factor

Anyone can become dehydrated if they do not meet their body's fluid requirements. However, some people are more at risk of dehydration:

Infants and children

Babies and children frequently experience diarrhea and vomiting, which puts them at risk of dehydration. Also, they are not yet able to communicate when they feel thirsty.

Elderly

The body's ability to store water reserves has decreased, and the body's ability to detect thirst is less effective than before. This means that elderly people do not have enough water reserves to meet their body's needs and cannot tell if they are thirsty.

Having a chronic disease

Uncontrolled diabetes increases the risk of dehydration. People with colds or sore throats are also more likely to become dehydrated because they do not want to eat or drink while sick.

Symptoms

Symptoms of dehydration may vary depending on their severity. Symptoms of mild-moderate dehydration include:

• Thirst
• Dry mouth
• Decreased frequency of urination
• Dark yellow urine 
• Dry and cold skin
• Headache
• Muscle cramps

Symptoms of severe dehydration include:

• No urination or dark yellow urine
• Very dry skin
• Dizziness
• Increased heart rate but low blood pressure
• Breathing becomes rapid
• Eyes appear sunken
• Drowsiness, confusion, and weakness

Symptoms of dehydration in infants or children include:

• Dry mouth and tongue
• No tears when crying
• diaper remains dry after 3 hours of use
• Sunken eyes
• Drowsiness, lack of energy, or fussiness

Read more: Diarrhea - Definition, Cause, Symptoms, and Management  AI Care (ai-care.id)

Diagnosis

To diagnose dehydration, the doctor will conduct a medical interview (anamnesa) regarding your symptoms, previous illnesses, and medication history.

Following the medical interview, the doctor will perform a physical examination to check vital signs like blood pressure, respiratory rate, heart rate, and body temperature. Low blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat may indicate dehydration.

If necessary, the doctor will also perform blood tests to determine electrolyte levels, which can indicate fluid loss. Creatinine levels can also be measured through blood tests. Creatinine levels can indicate how well your kidneys function, which is one sign of dehydration.

A urine test may also be performed to detect the presence of bacteria or electrolyte loss. The color of the urine can also indicate whether the body is dehydrated. However, without other dehydration symptoms, dark urine cannot be used to diagnose dehydration accurately.

Management

Dehydration treatment involves replacing lost fluids (rehydration) and electrolytes. You may need to drink plenty of water to replace the lost fluids in mild cases.

If you have lost electrolytes, a sports drink can help. A sports drink is a type of beverage that contains carbohydrates, minerals, electrolytes, and calories. You can also administer pedialyte fluid to infants and children.

However, in severe cases, such as severe vomiting or diarrhea, the advice to drink plenty of water may be ineffective and fail to meet the fluid needs that have been lost. If this occurs, the doctor will administer intravenous fluids to replenish lost body fluids.

The underlying cause of dehydration should also be addressed immediately. Your doctor may prescribe anti-vomiting, anti-diarrhea, or febrifuge medications if you have a fever.

Complications

If dehydration is not treated immediately, it can lead to several complications, including:

• Reduced blood volume, resulting in a drop in blood pressure and oxygen not being properly supplied to the entire body
• Seizures due to electrolyte imbalance
• Kidney problems, including kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and even kidney failure
• Heat injury can range from mild cramps to heat exhaustion and even heat stroke
• Coma

Read more: The Disease Of Vomitus - Definition, Cause, Symptom, and Management  AI Care (ai-care.id)

Prevention

Here are some ways to prevent dehydration:

• If you are sick, drink more fluids, especially if you are vomiting or have diarrhea. If you are unable to consume fluids, see a doctor right away
• Drink water before exercising or doing other strenuous activities. Replace lost body fluids at regular intervals throughout your activity. Also, after exercise, drink water or electrolyte fluids
• Wear light and comfortable clothing during the summer, and avoid staying in hot places for extended periods
• Even if you are not doing much activity, make sure you are getting enough fluids

When to see a doctor?

Be sure to get in touch with your doctor immediately if you:

• Diarrhea more than 5 times a day
• Have persistent vomiting
• There is blood (red or black) or small amounts of fluid in the stool
• There is a small amount of blood when vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Fever with a temperature of 38°C or more

Go to the emergency room (ER) immediately if you experience :

• Weakness
• Dizziness or fainting
• Confusion
• Large amounts of blood (red or black) in your stool
• There is a large amount of blood when vomiting
•  

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