Dehydration: Definition, Types, Causes and Symptoms

Dehydration is a condition wherein the body does not have enough water required for its normal functioning. It can also be understood as a condition where the body loses more water than it has consumed. Depending upon the amount of fluid lost, dehydration can be mild, moderate, or severe. Fluid loss in the body can occur as a result of various health conditions such as diarrhoea, vomiting, and fever. Prolonged consumption of less water is also a cause of dehydration. Some symptoms of dehydration are dizziness, dark urine, irregular heartbeat, and fainting. While dehydration is usually not life-threatening and can be cured by replenishing the fluid intake, prolonged and severe dehydration can have severe implications and requires medical intervention. 

Key Takeaways: Dehydration, Fluid intake, Health, Disease, Oral rehydration solution, Electrolyte water

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Health and Disease

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Health is the state of the overall physical, mental and social wellbeing of an individual. The health of an individual largely depends on the person’s environment or surroundings. For instance, open drains and stagnant water in a locality can impact the health of residents in that area. 

Disease is the condition wherein there is a certain discomfort or abnormal functioning of the mental and/or physical states of an individual such that it causes illness in the individual. The disease does not take into account the society or community. There are various factors that impact our health. For instance, consuming a balanced diet, adequate intake of nutrients and fluids, regular physical activity help maintain good health, while inadequate intake of nutrients can cause various deficiency diseases such as scurvy, beriberi, and more. Similarly, insufficient water intake or excessive fluid loss from the body can cause dehydration. The subsequent sections of this article discuss the causes and symptoms of dehydration.

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What is Dehydration?

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Dehydration is a condition where water loss from the body is much greater than the amount of water. This causes difficulty in the normal functioning of various body processes. Based on the amount of water loss, dehydration can be classified as mild, moderate, and severe. Mild and moderate dehydration can often be cured by consumption of water or some over-the-counter oral rehydration solutions (electrolyte water); severe dehydration requires medical supervision to ensure replenishment of body fluids and electrolytes through intravenous supply.

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Causes of Dehydration

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Loss of excess fluids or less intake of water and fluids are the main conditions that cause dehydration. These conditions can occur due to the following reasons:

• Diarrhoea: It prevents absorption of water by the large intestine.
• Vomiting: It causes loss of fluids from the body and prevents their replacement.
• Fever: It causes loss of body fluids through the skin surface. This is the body’s response to lower the body temperature. Thus, often fever can cause excessive sweating, leading to dehydration.
• Sweating: It plays a key role in water loss from the body. It helps remove certain toxins and maintain the body temperature by helping it cool. However, excessive sweating such as that on a hot and humid day or due to excessive physical activities can lead to dehydration.
• Diabetes: The high levels of sugar in the blood, cause increased urination in diabetes patients, and consequently results is loss of fluids from the body.
• Drinking less water: this may be a habit or one may not be able to drink enough water due to certain underlying illnesses such as sore throat, cold or fever, that may make it difficult for an individual to drink an adequate amount of water or other fluids.

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Symptoms of Dehydration

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Dehydration, depending on its intensity, is characterized by the following symptoms: 

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Prevention and Cure of Dehydration

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• Dehydration can be prevented by drinking enough water and consuming fluids and foods with higher water content.
• However, if one suffers from dehydration, it is usually curable and not life threatening. Mild to moderate dehydration can be cured by drinking lots of water, increasing intake of fluids such as juices and consuming some over the counter oral rehydration (electrolyte) solutions. However, severe dehydration requires medical attention and care to timely administer intravenous fluids and electrolytes for rehydration.

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Things to Remember

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• Electrolyte water is considered the best remedy for dehydration as it helps replenish the loss of fluids and electrolytes due to dehydration.
• Oral rehydration solution or electrolyte water contains electrolytes such as sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium and calcium that help in maintaining the body’s fluid balance, regulating blood pressure and more.

• Severe dehydration should not be overlooked and the patient must be put under immediate medical supervision for treatment.
• Old aged people, infants, breastfeeding mothers, persons with chronic illness, persons on a low sodium diet and those consuming excessive alcohol are at a greater risk of suffering from dehydration.
• An individual must be immediately taken to a medical expert in case she/he suffers from:

1. Severe diarrhoea or diarrhoea for 3 or more consecutive days
2. Blood in stool
3. Disorientation.