Warning signs of Dehydration in hot summer



When heat waves blow, human body needs excessive water. Sometimes people do not drink sufficient water and they undergo with serious medical illness due to insufficiency of water in body. It is termed as dehydration.  Dehydration is a condition where the water level in the body is extremely low. This can result in several minor and major effects within the body and can be lethal.

Water is essential for human body. The human body contains roughly 70% of water, and water is needed for many of bodily processes. It makes up a large volume of the cytosol in human cells, which is the fluid that supports the organelles. It is a large component of human bodily fluids and tissues, including blood, sweat, and tears. It is also important constituent in the digestion of food for nutrients, and is used to break down food in a process known as catabolism. These processes indicate that humans cannot survive without water.

Dehydration can be mild, moderate or severe. It depends on how much of body weight is lost through fluids.

General causes of dehydration are as under:

Vigorous exercise, hot weather and excessive sweating can cause dehydration.

Other causes include: Fever

Vomiting or diarrhea

Urinating too much

Though anyone may become dehydrated but young children, older adults and people with chronic illnesses are more prone to dehydration.

Signs and symptoms of dehydration: 

Major and early signs of dehydration are thirst and dark-coloured urine.

Other symptoms are as under:

1.   Dizziness or light-headedness
2.   Headache
3.   Tiredness
4.   Dry mouth, lips and eyes
5.   Passing small amounts of urine infrequently (less than three or four times a day).

Dehydration can lead to serious complications:

-Heat injury. If person does not drink enough fluids when they do exercise vigorously and sweat heavily, they may grip with a heat injury, ranging in severity from mild heat cramps to heat exhaustion or potentially fatal heatstroke.

-Swelling of the brain (cerebral edema). Sometimes, when person is getting fluids again after being dehydrated, the body tries to pull too much water back into cells. This can cause some cells to swell and rupture. The consequences are dangerous when brain cells are affected. 

-Seizures. Electrolytes such as potassium and sodium help carry electrical signals from cell to cell. If person’s electrolytes are out of balance, the normal electrical messages can become mixed up, which can lead to involuntary muscle contractions and sometimes to a loss of consciousness.

-Low blood volume shock (hypovolemic shock): This is lethal condition of dehydration. It happens when low blood volume causes a drop in blood pressure and a drop in the amount of oxygen in body.

-Kidney failure: This deadly problem may occur when kidneys are not functioning well due to dehydration and are unable to remove excess fluids and waste from blood. 

-Coma and death:  When the condition of dehydration is not treated quickly and properly, it can be incurable.

Person must immediately consult general practitioner symptoms continue despite drinking enough fluids.

In case of severe dehydration, immediate medical attention is required. Patients promptly consult doctor if they exhibit following symptoms:

-Feeling unusually tired (lethargic) or confused, and you think you may be dehydrated

-Dizziness when you stand up that doesn't go away after a few seconds

-Do not pass urine for eight hours

-A weak pulse

-A rapid pulse 

-Fits (seizures)

-A low level of consciousness.

It is important to be knowledgeable for baby dehydration.  A baby show following symptoms when they severely dehydrated:

-A sunken soft spot (fontanelle) on their head

-Few or no tears when they cry

-A dry mouth

-Fewer wet nappies

-Dark yellow urine

Drowsiness

Fast breathing

Cold and blotchy-looking hands and feet

Treatment & Management: 

To treat dehydration, electrolytes (especially sodium and potassium) should also be replaced. There are several flavoured drinks or oral rehydration solutions are available to replace the electrolytes (salts) lost during vigorous exercise.

In case of severe dehydration, hospital care is needed. In such cases, an intravenous solution containing sodium chloride is usually given. Intravenous fluids are given quickly, then more slowly as dehydration improves.

It is advised to prevent deadly condition of dehydration through drinking plenty of water and maintain hygiene to avoid cholera.


According to world health organization, dehydration is widespread in developing countries where about one billion people do not have access to clean water.




To encapsulate, Dehydration is a deadly medical condition which should not be taken lightly. It has been related with high mortality rates among    hospitalized older adults and a frequent cause of hospitalization of older adults.

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