- Nausea.
- Loss of appetite due to illness.
- Sore throat or mouth sores.
Symptoms.
- Dry or sticky mouth.
- Low or no urine output; concentrated urine appears dark and yellow (if your urine is dark, misty and has an odour, your dehydrated!)
- Not producing tears
- Sunken eyes
- Lethargic or comatose (with severe dehydration)
- Low blood pressure.
- Blood pressure that drops when you go from lying down to standing up.
- Rapid heart rate.
- Poor skin turgor - the skin may lack its normal elasticity and sag back into position slowly when pinched up into a fold by the Doctor; normally skin springs right back into position.
- Delayed capillary refill.
- Shock.
Prevention.
It is important to carefully monitor someone who is ill, especially an infant, child or older adult. If you believe that dehydration is developing, consult a Doctor before the person becomes moderately or severely dehydrated. Also, begin fluid replacement as soon as vomiting or diarrhoea start. DO NOT wait for signs of dehydration. The easiest signs to monitor are urine output, saliva in the mouth and tears in the eyes.Even when you are healthy, drink plenty of fluid every day. Drink more when the weather is hot or you are exercising.
(published with permission in writing from:http://www.fireservice.co.uk)
