Dehydration Treatment

Dehydration is the result of not having enough body fluids for your body to function well.

Symptoms include restlessness, irritability and the most common is thirst.

Travelers’s Diarrhea. There are well documented areas in Africa, Asia, Latin America and America and the Middle East where traveler’s diarrhea is a problem for tourists who visit.  There are many  organisms responsible for this which is transmitted by unhygienic food practices and water contaminated by human sewage.  Care in what one eats and drinks remains the most important means of preventing traveler’s diarrhea.

Additional Information

Don’t use thirst as a measure of when you will take a drink.  When you fell thirsty , it means you are already low on fluids.  The color and amount of your urine is a good indicator of the level  of dehydration.  If there isn’t very much urine and whatever there is comes out dark yellow, this means your body is low in fluids.

Complications

• Kidney damage
• Shock (paleness), rapid breathing, cold sweat, clammy skin, drowsiness, fast pulse rate, loss of consciousness)
• Death

Early signs of dehydration

• Increased Thirst, dry mouth, absence of tears
• Excessive sweating due to fever or exercise 
• Restlessness, irritability
• Fatigue, in adults

Late signs of Dehydration

• Confusion, lethargy
• Weakness
• Fainting
• Skin lacks its normal elasticity and sags back into position slowly when pinched into a fold 
• Decreased  urine output 
• Sunken eyeballs

The Causes

• Excessive sweating
• Severe heat stroke (Also read Heat Stroke) 
• Severe diarrhea or vomiting (Also read Vomiting)
• Heavy urine output
• Diabetes
• Not taking enough liquids, which is sometimes due to nausea or a loss of appetite

Actions to take:

• Drink plenty of fluids but not alcoholic, carbonated nor very sugary beverages
• If an infant or young child is dehydrated or if there is severe, uncontrollable vomiting, consult your doctor immediately
• Take oral rehydration salts (ORS), electrolyte tablets 
• If there are signs of shock, go to the emergency room of the nearest hospital
• Avoid caffeine containing drinks; these will induce diuresis.

Tips for Prevention

Dehydration is easier to prevent than to treat.  To prevent dehydration:

• Drink liquids throughout the day, whether you are active, inactive, or ill.  Those most at risk are the very young and the very old especially if they are ill with fever, vomiting or diarrhea.
• Monitor fluids intake and drink more than your normal intake if you are ill.
• Drink at least a quart of water or other electrolyte replenishing fluid every hour when sweating or doing exercise.
• Children have a lower tolerance than adults for high temperatures and should be monitored to make sure they drink at least 5 ounces of water every 20 minutes during exercise in warm or humid climates.

Preventive Measures against Traveler’s diarrhea:

• Use restaurants with reputation for safety and avoid food from street vendors.
• Eat cooked food, fruit that can be peeled .  Do not consume food that has been exposed for a prolonged period of time.
• Salads containing uncooked raw vegetables should be avoided.
• Be careful about eating partially cooked seafood like oysters or salmon.
• In areas of high risk, be wary of water . Drink boiled water or bottled carbonated beverages only and don’t use any ice on  your drinks.

Be aware on what to do when you or someone dehydrates. Know the first aid and symptoms in this video. According to this video, There are many types of dehydration, including that's induced by vomiting, hypernatremic dehydration and hyponatermic dehydration. Look for all the symptoms n, such as headache, nausea, muscles cramps and weakness with help from an EMT in this free video on dehydration.