As discussed in the
Emergency Department prior to discharge, your child has been diagnosed with
dehydration. Dehydration
is the term doctors use when the body loses too much water. Losing too much water is a problem, because
the body needs a certain amount of water to work normally. Another word doctors sometimes use is
"hypovolemia."
Dehydration can be mild or severe. Mild dehydration doesn't usually cause
problems. But if mild dehydration isn't
treated, it can get worse. Severe
dehydration is a medical emergency and can be life-threatening.
Children are at higher risk for
dehydration than adults. There are a few
reasons for this:
-Their bodies are smaller
-They are more likely to get viruses that
cause vomiting and diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration.
-Babies and young children depend on
adults to give them liquids, and might not be able to tell someone if they are
thirsty.
Dehydration happens when your body loses
more water than you take in from drinking and eating.
It's normal for people to lose some water
from their bodies every day, for example, in their urine and bowel movements. But some things make people lose a lot of
water. In children, this can include: vomiting, diarrhea, a high fever, and
problems or medicines that cause a person to urinate more than usual.
Some things keep people from taking in
enough water. For example, children
might not drink or eat if they have an upset stomach or sore throat.
As dehydration gets worse, it can cause
symptoms such as:
-Feeling thirsty
-Urinating less often, or having dark yellow or brown urine
-A dry mouth or cracked lips
-No tears when the child cries
-Feeling tired or confused
-Feeling dizzy or light-headed
-Eyes that look sunken in the face
-A "sunken fontanel" in babies – A fontanel is a gap between
the bones in a baby's skull. When babies are dehydrated, the fontanel on the
top of their head can look or feel caved in.
Severe dehydration can make people stop
breathing normally or go into a coma.
Dehydration is treated with fluids. Children with severe dehydration usually need
to be treated in the hospital. Treatment
might involve getting fluids through an "IV," which is a thin tube
that goes into the vein, or getting small sips of a special fluid designed for
children with dehydration.
If your child only has mild dehydration,
you can also treat it by giving them fluids to drink. You'll know that the treatment is working
when:
-Your child urinates more often and the urine looks pale yellow or
clear.
-Your baby has more wet diapers.
Some fluids help treat dehydration better than water, because they give the body the right amount of water and salts. You should use the following fluids to treat your child's dehydration:
-Oral rehydration
solutions – These are special drinks meant to help
with dehydration, such as Pedialyte. You
can buy them in a store or pharmacy. Try
to give your child a few teaspoons of fluid every few minutes. If your baby won't drink it from a bottle or
cup, you can feed him or her with a spoon or syringe.
-Breast milk – Babies who breastfeed should continue to breastfeed.
-Apple juice mixed with an equal amount of water mixed into it.
The child can return to their normal diet once they are no longer dehydrated. Keep giving extra fluids if your child's vomiting or diarrhea continues.
Return to the Emergency Department if
your child has diarrhea that lasts more than a few days, has vomiting that
lasts more than 1 day, can't keep any fluids down, vomits blood or has bloody
diarrhea, hasn't had anything to drink in many hours, hasn't needed to urinate
in the past 6 to 8 hours (in older children), or hasn't had a wet diaper for 4
to 6 hours (in babies and younger children), or for any new or concerning
symptoms.
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