Description
Two thirds of the body are composed of water. This means that if a person weighs about 70 kilos (154 pounds), the human body contains about 45 liters of water. Nearly 70% of water is contained in cells, 20% in the space surrounding cells and less than 10% in the bloodstream. Water is essential to maintaining a healthy body.
When water intake is the amount excreted, water reserves of the body are well balanced. A healthy person, do not sweat excessively, you should drink at least two to three liters of fluid per day to maintain water balance and protect against the development of kidney stones.
Dehydration can occur when the water body is insufficient. If the brain and kidneys are functioning properly, the body can adapt to changes in water intake. It is usually possible to drink enough water to offset losses.
In certain circumstances it is impossible to drink enough water because of vomiting, acute diarrhea, excessive heat or fever.
Some dehydration is relatively mild, but can pose a mortal danger. When the water reserves in the body lowered below a certain threshold, a condition that means hypovolemic shock can occur when blood volume decreases rapidly.
Dehydration is a serious problem in young children and infants due to the greater proportion of their skin surface area relative to their body as a whole, and can occur even after several hours of vomiting or diarrhea and even d ‘profuse sweating.
Causes
Some medical conditions can cause extreme water loss:
Gastroenteritis: The patient may become dehydrated if the gastrointestinal tract becomes infected or inflamed due to a stomach or intestinal flu caused by a virus or bacterium. Gastroenteritis usually does not last for more than 36 hours.
Cholera: The consumption of water or food contaminated by human faeces infected with the cholera bacterium will cause vomiting and acute diarrhea that can lead to dehydration, hypovolemic shock and, in some cases, death .
Excessive use of diuretics: Diuretics stimulate the increase in body flow and volume of urine and loss of salt and potassium in the urine. Although problems are uncommon when the use of diuretics is monitored properly, overuse combined with a diet low in salt can cause dehydration.
Bulimia: Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by irresistible impulses to ingest large quantities of food. In most cases, this condition also involves purging through means such as induced vomiting or the use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics or excessive exercise. All forms of purging can lead to dehydration.
Addison’s Disease: The adrenal glands produce steroid hormones that play a role in maintaining the balance of body fluids. Although this is rare, adrenal insufficiency may occur and cause dehydration.
Symptoms and Complications
The agency will try to deal with dehydration by stimulating the thirst centers in the brain, which prompts the person to drink more fluids. By cons, if water consumption does not correspond to the fluid loss, dehydration worsens and the body responds by decreasing sweat and urine production. A well hydrated person will have emissions of clear urine every 3 to 4 hours. As the water in the bloodstream is very important, the water in cells and surrounding tissues begin to enter the bloodstream.
If dehydration continues, the cells begin to shrivel and malfunction, and tissues of the body begin to dry out. Because brain cells are more susceptible to dehydration, a person may make an episode of confusion and even falling into a coma.
Because of dehydration, electrolytes (dissolved minerals such as sodium, potassium and chloride) from the body may become deficient, and water can no longer move as easily from inside cells into the blood. The amount of water that moves into the bloodstream is reduced even more, and blood pressure can drop, causing dizziness and loss of feeling faint, especially if the person stands up suddenly.
If the loss of water and electrolytes continues, blood pressure can fall dangerously low, causing shock and severe damage to many internal organs such as kidneys, liver and the brain.
