Dehydration occurs when your body does not have as much water and fluids as it needs.
Dehydration can be mild, moderate, or severe, based on how much of your body's fluid is lost or not replaced. Severe dehydration is a life-threatening emergency.
Vomiting - dehydration; Diarrhea - dehydration; Diabetes - dehydration; Stomach flu - dehydration; Gastroenteritis - dehydration; Excessive sweating - dehydration
You can become dehydrated if you lose too much fluid, do not drink enough water or fluids, or both.
Your body may lose a lot of fluid from:
You might not drink enough fluids because:
Older adults and people with certain diseases, such as diabetes, are also at higher risk for dehydration.
Signs of mild to moderate dehydration include:
Signs of severe dehydration include:
To treat dehydration:
For more severe dehydration or heat emergency, you may need to stay in a hospital and receive fluid through a vein (IV). The provider will also treat the cause of the dehydration.
Dehydration caused by a stomach virus should get better on its own after a few days.
Stephen Freedman practices in Calgary, Canada. Freedman is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Dehydration. He is also highly rated in 21 other conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Dehydration, Diarrhea, Viral Gastroenteritis, D-Minus Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, and Appendectomy.
Catharina Wesseling practices in Stockholm, Sweden. Wesseling is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Dehydration. She is also highly rated in 2 other conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Dehydration, Fainting, Hypertension, and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
If you notice signs of dehydration and treat it quickly, you should recover completely.
Untreated severe dehydration may cause:
You should call 911 or the local emergency number if:
To prevent dehydration:
Background: The presence of hypotension in adults increases their risk of cognitive impairment. Recent big data studies showed that add-on Astragalus membranaceus (AM) can effectively improve the state of hypotension. The effectiveness of add-on AM in improving cognitive function in hypotension has not been established. Therefore, this study aims to determine the efficacy and safety of add-on AM treatment in ...
Summary: The presence of hypotension in older adults increases their risk of cognitive decline. Astragalus membranaceus treatment can effectively improve the state of hypotension. In adults with both hypotension and cognitive impairment, the effectiveness of astragalus in improving their cognitive function has not been established. Therefore, this study aims to determine the efficacy and safety of Astragal...
Published Date: August 10, 2021
Published By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Kenefick RW, Cheuvront SN, Leon LR, O'Brien KK. Dehydration and rehydration. In: Auerbach PS, Cushing TA, Harris NS, eds. Auerbach's Wilderness Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2017:chap 89.
Padlipsky P, McCormick T. Infectious diarrheal disease and dehydration. In: Walls RM, Hockberger RS, Gausche-Hill M, eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 172.