02/10/2023
All about the symptoms and effects of dehydration
What is dehydration? Simply put, it is a lack of water in the body that occurs when you lose more fluid than you take in. Dehydration can occur, for example, on hot days when you sweat a lot, or if you experience fever, diarrhoea or vomiting. How does dehydration manifest itself?
What are the symptoms of dehydration?
How do you know if you are dehydrated? The signs of dehydration vary based on whether the dehydration affects adults or children, whether the dehydration is mild or severe, and whether the dehydration is acute or chronic.
Signs of dehydration in adults
Dehydration can be divided into mild dehydration and moderate to severe dehydration. These forms of dehydration have different symptoms.
Mild dehydration
The initial symptoms of mild dehydration in adults include a feeling of thirst and darker coloured urine. Fatigue, headache, reduced frequency of urination, dizziness, constipation, and dry skin may occur.
Mild dehydration can be resolved relatively easily by supplementing fluids in the form of plain water or drinks with electrolytes. However, avoid drinking large amounts of fluids at once, as this will put a strain on the kidneys. Hydrate your body by drinking water gradually throughout the day.
Moderate to severe dehydration
What are the most common symptoms of moderate to severe dehydration? Excessive thirst, inadequate sweat production, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, dark urine, pale skin, and low skin elasticity.
If you are experiencing symptoms of severe dehydration, seek medical attention as soon as possible; for more severe forms of dehydration, it is often necessary to resort to intravenous infusions.
Symptoms of dehydration in the elderly
As the body stops alerting as much to lack of fluids in older people, they may not experience one of the most common symptoms of dehydration in the form of thirst. Signs of dehydration in the elderly mainly include dizziness, dry tongue, weakness, and constipation. One of the symptoms is a darker colour of the urine, a reduced amount of urine, and an unusual smell of urine.
Symptoms of dehydration in children
In children, the symptoms of dehydration may be a little different than in adults. The most common signs of dehydration in babies and toddlers include dry and chapped lips, dry tongue, and less frequent urination than usual. A young baby may also not produce tears when crying if dehydrated, and you may notice the appearance of grey skin around the eyes. Symptoms in older children coincide with those in adults.
How does chronic dehydration manifest itself?
The symptoms of dehydration mentioned above are associated with so-called acute dehydration, which occurs, for example, during hot summer days or when fighting an illness that is associated with intense vomiting or repeated diarrhea.
However, if the body is deficient in water for a long time, we speak of so-called chronic or long-term dehydration. Chronic dehydration has slightly different symptoms than acute dehydration. It manifests itself by frequent headaches, persistent muscle weakness, constant fatigue, constipation, or dry skin.
What side effects are associated with dehydration?
Untreated dehydration can be a very serious condition, so it should not be underestimated. Possible complications of dehydration include dangerous heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat stroke, seizures caused by a lack of electrolytes in the body, kidney failure, and coma. Extreme forms of dehydration can lead to death.
If you are experiencing symptoms of mild dehydration or observe them in your children, you can buy over-the-counter rehydration products at the pharmacy. But for more serious forms of dehydration, seek medical attention.
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