Child Dehydration: How to recognize that a child is dehydrating?
Child dehydration is an alteration that can be caused by different causes, such as vomiting or diarrhea. Parents should know the symptoms of dehydration to remedy it as soon as possible. It is often treated with oral rehydration solutions. If it is not treated in time, it can be complicated and have serious consequences for the baby or the child.
Dehydration consists of excessive loss of body fluids. The body of babies and children consists of more than 60% of water.
Dehydration not only removes water, but also electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chlorine, calcium ...). A balance must be maintained between the water and electrolyte content, ie between the inside of the cells and the environment of the tissue surrounding them for everything to function normally.
If too much electrolytes are lost and less water, hypotonic dehydration will occur. On the contrary, dehydration will be hypertonic if more water is lost than electrolytes. Both situations are serious in the case of infants and children.
Why is child dehydration occurring?
The main causes of fluid loss are:
Vomiting sustained
Profuse diarrhea
Other more rare causes are:
Excessive sweating (heat stroke)
Excessive urine output (in both diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus, although these two situations are exceptional in infants)
How does it manifest?
A baby or child who starts to become dehydrated shows that he or she is thirsty, cries and drinks with greed almost any liquid that is offered.
If the dehydration progresses, you may have the fontanelle and your eyes slightly sunken. Surely your mouth and tongue will be dry and rough.
You may have a fever (due to dehydration itself, regardless of the cause that causes it).
As for their behavior, a dehydrated baby may be lethargic or on the contrary, be very excitable.
Does child dehydration have treatment?
If the baby has vomiting and / or diarrhea and any of the above symptoms we should start giving him fluids. It is best to use oral rehydration solutions (sales in pharmacies) and offer them little by little. It is not recommended to use other homemade solutions such as infusions or soft drinks.
Can this childhood illness be complicated?
If the baby continues to lose more fluids than he or she ingests, dehydration may worsen and lead to severe manifestations such as seizures or coma.
Dehydration consists of excessive loss of body fluids. The body of babies and children consists of more than 60% of water.
Dehydration not only removes water, but also electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chlorine, calcium ...). A balance must be maintained between the water and electrolyte content, ie between the inside of the cells and the environment of the tissue surrounding them for everything to function normally.
If too much electrolytes are lost and less water, hypotonic dehydration will occur. On the contrary, dehydration will be hypertonic if more water is lost than electrolytes. Both situations are serious in the case of infants and children.
Why is child dehydration occurring?
The main causes of fluid loss are:
Vomiting sustained
Profuse diarrhea
Other more rare causes are:
Excessive sweating (heat stroke)
Excessive urine output (in both diabetes mellitus and diabetes insipidus, although these two situations are exceptional in infants)
How does it manifest?
A baby or child who starts to become dehydrated shows that he or she is thirsty, cries and drinks with greed almost any liquid that is offered.
If the dehydration progresses, you may have the fontanelle and your eyes slightly sunken. Surely your mouth and tongue will be dry and rough.
You may have a fever (due to dehydration itself, regardless of the cause that causes it).
As for their behavior, a dehydrated baby may be lethargic or on the contrary, be very excitable.
Does child dehydration have treatment?
If the baby has vomiting and / or diarrhea and any of the above symptoms we should start giving him fluids. It is best to use oral rehydration solutions (sales in pharmacies) and offer them little by little. It is not recommended to use other homemade solutions such as infusions or soft drinks.
Can this childhood illness be complicated?
If the baby continues to lose more fluids than he or she ingests, dehydration may worsen and lead to severe manifestations such as seizures or coma.
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