Blog Post

Whenever scientists look for signs of life in seemingly lifeless areas on Earth or on other planets, water is often the first thing they seek. 

This vital liquid performs multiple tasks to enable and sustain life, including serving as a medium for organic compounds to mix, supporting agriculture by growing food, and acting as a solvent and delivery system in your body.

How much water you carry in your body varies by age and sex, but at least 60% of the human body is water, and it can be as high as 75%. When you lack the amount of water necessary for normal bodily function, it’s due to dehydration, and severe issues with this can be life-threatening. 

In this month’s blog, we discuss this condition, how it happens, and what you and medical professionals can do to treat it.

Our medical team at Houston Medical ER in Spring and Houston, Texas, can help patients with dehydration and a multitude of other conditions.

What is dehydration?

To maintain fluid levels in your body, you need to achieve a balance. Your body should be removing as much liquid as it takes in. With the water, your body keeps working to flush out toxins and other materials.

Dehydration occurs when you lose more water than you take in, and while anyone can suffer from it, it’s most common in infants and older adults.

Several symptoms can indicate dehydration, including a lack of urination, dry mouth, crying without tears, rapid heart rate, and sunken eyes and cheeks in children. 

In adults, you’re likely to see extreme thirst, lack of urination, darker-colored urine, dizziness, fatigue, and confusion. Your skin may not flatten right away after being pinched.  

What causes severe cases of dehydration?

When this lack of water becomes severe, it’s considered a medical emergency, and often happens due to:

Severe heat

Extremely high-temperature exposure from spending too much time in very hot, humid weather or overindulging in saunas can dry your body out.

Illness

Numerous conditions have diarrhea and vomiting as symptoms, as this can quickly cause you to lose precious water without being able to replenish it quickly enough.

Lack of hydration

Not drinking enough water can cause dehydration, especially if you drink things that dehydrate you. Some drinks with caffeine increase urine production, like soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while alcohol and energy drinks change your fluid balance.

Diuretics

Like caffeine, some medications cause you to lose more fluid through urination, including drugs to manage blood pressure.

How we treat dehydration

In severe cases, dehydration can cause kidney problems, lead to heatstroke, create electrolyte imbalances, and cause shock or even a coma. 

To prevent these complications, drinking more water helps, along with medications for some of the symptoms like diarrhea, but if your body’s coping with severe symptoms, intravenous (IV) treatment may be necessary.

This would allow us to provide a high dose of fluid directly into your body, bypassing the slower transit of your digestive system. Through an IV, we can also provide other nutrients to keep you healthy as you recover.

Dehydration can happen to anyone, but if you have severe symptoms, contact us at Houston Medical ER as soon as possible.