Causes
Gastroenteritis is by far the most common cause of dehydration. This is because it can make your child lose a lot of body fluids quickly. Any illness where there’s persistent diarrhoea, vomiting or reduced fluid intake can result in dehydration.
If your child is unwilling to drink for any reason, he could also end up with dehydration.
Excessive sweating can also result in dehydration, particularly in babies in very hot weather, or in adolescent children who are doing vigorous activity.
Symptoms
A young child who’s dehydrated will wee less often. She’ll either have fewer wet nappies, or her nappies won’t be as wet as usual.
Your child:
- will look gaunt and pasty
- will often be tired and lethargic
- will have lost weight because of fluid lost from the body
- might have fewer tears
- might have a depressed fontanelle (the soft spot on a child’s skull), if he’s an infant
- might be thirsty.
Also, your child’s:
- eyes might look sunken and dark
- tongue and mouth will be coated and dry.
When to see your doctor
See your doctor if:
- vomiting and diarrhoea persist
- your child has any of the symptoms above
- you’re worried.
Treatment
You can treat mild cases of dehydration by giving your child more water, or by giving her oral rehydration fluid. This can also be frozen and given as an ‘icy pole’.
Fluids need to be given in small amounts, but frequently.
In more severe cases, your child might need hospital assistance to help him catch up on fluid losses. In many cases, the safest and quickest way to do this is by passing a small tube into the nose and then into the stomach, through which rehydrating fluids can be given.
Less often, fluids need to be given intravenously (directly into the vein). In this case, your child will have to go into hospital.
Prevention
The best way to avoid significant dehydration is to see your doctor if your child has any illness that’s causing her to lose lots of fluid or stop drinking.
