{
  "id": "dehydration",
  "title": "Dehydration",
  "lang": "en",
  "source_lang": "en",
  "summary": "Dehydration is a deficit of body water caused by insufficient fluid intake, excessive fluid loss, or both, with effects ranging from thirst to life-threatening circulatory and neurological disturbances.",
  "category": "health",
  "subcategory": "diseases",
  "type": "concept",
  "aliases": [
    "Body-water deficit"
  ],
  "generated_at": "2026-10-13",
  "model": "pro/gpt-6.1-sol",
  "url": "https://aiwiki.page/en/dehydration/",
  "translations": {
    "zh-Hans": {
      "url": "https://aiwiki.page/zh/dehydration/",
      "json": "https://aiwiki.page/zh/dehydration.json"
    }
  },
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "",
      "text": "Dehydration is a condition in which the body has less water than it needs for normal functioning, generally because fluid losses exceed intake. It may occur alone or together with losses of electrolytes, including sodium and potassium. Its severity ranges from a relatively small fluid deficit to a life-threatening disturbance of circulation and organ function. (medlineplus.gov)"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Terminology and fluid balance",
      "text": "In everyday and general medical usage, dehydration often refers broadly to a shortage of body fluids. More precise clinical terminology distinguishes a water deficit from volume depletion, which is a reduction in extracellular fluid associated with loss of total-body sodium. The conditions frequently coexist, but they are not identical: volume depletion can occur with a normal, elevated, or reduced blood sodium concentration. (merckmanuals.com)\n\nWhen water loss exceeds sodium loss, blood sodium concentration rises, producing hypernatremia. Water then moves out of cells through osmosis, and cellular dehydration can produce neurological disturbances. Conversely, substantial sodium and water losses can reduce the effective circulating volume and impair blood flow to organs without necessarily raising blood sodium. Thus, blood sodium concentration alone does not measure the overall degree of fluid loss. (merckmanuals.com)"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Causes and susceptibility",
      "text": "Dehydration develops through excessive losses, inadequate intake, or a combination of the two. Common causes include:\n\n- Gastrointestinal losses: diarrhea and vomiting, including during gastroenteritis.\n- Skin and respiratory losses: excessive sweating, particularly during physical activity in hot conditions, and increased losses associated with fever.\n- Urinary losses: increased urination caused by certain medicines or illnesses, including poorly controlled diabetes mellitus.\n- Reduced intake: illness, nausea, painful swallowing, or other circumstances that limit drinking. (medlineplus.gov)\n\nInfants and young children are especially susceptible during diarrheal illness or vomiting. Older adults may have a diminished sense of thirst. Other higher-risk groups include people with illnesses that increase fluid loss, people taking medicines that increase urination or sweating, and those exercising or working outdoors in hot weather. (medlineplus.gov)"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Clinical features and severity",
      "text": "Common manifestations include thirst, a dry mouth, reduced urine output, darker urine, tiredness, headache, and dizziness. In infants and young children, reduced tears, fewer wet diapers, sunken eyes, irritability, and unusual sleepiness may occur. Severe dehydration can involve confusion, fainting, very little or no urine, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, and loss of consciousness. (medlineplus.gov)\n\nSeverity is described using the estimated fluid deficit and its clinical effects. General descriptions distinguish mild, moderate, and severe dehydration. In its assessment of diarrheal disease, the World Health Organization uses the categories no dehydration, some dehydration, and severe dehydration, based on combinations of findings such as mental state, sunken eyes, drinking behavior, and the speed at which a pinched skin fold returns to normal. These classifications are intended for particular clinical settings rather than serving as interchangeable measures for every patient. (medlineplus.gov)"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Diagnosis",
      "text": "Diagnosis combines a history of fluid intake and losses with examination of circulation, mucous membranes, skin elasticity, and vital signs. Reliable body weights measured before and after an acute episode can help estimate fluid loss. Laboratory investigation, when required, may include blood electrolytes, glucose, and markers of kidney function, together with urine testing. Not every uncomplicated episode requires laboratory tests. (medlineplus.gov)"
    },
    {
      "heading": "Treatment and complications",
      "text": "Clinical treatment replaces missing water and, where necessary, electrolytes, while addressing the underlying cause. Oral rehydration therapy uses a glucose–electrolyte solution to replace losses through intestinal absorption. It is an established treatment for dehydration associated with diarrhea across age groups. Severe dehydration or shock may require intravenous fluids. (medlineplus.gov)\n\nThe composition and administration of replacement fluids depend on whether the main problem is impaired circulation, water deficit, or an accompanying electrolyte disturbance. In hypernatremia, correction is controlled because excessively rapid changes can cause cerebral edema. Untreated severe dehydration can result in shock, seizures, permanent brain injury, or death. (merckmanuals.com)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    "water",
    "electrolyte",
    "cell",
    "osmosis",
    "diarrhea",
    "gastroenteritis",
    "fever",
    "diabetes-mellitus",
    "headache",
    "dizziness",
    "world-health-organization",
    "diagnosis",
    "kidney"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Dehydration: MedlinePlus",
      "url": "https://medlineplus.gov/dehydration.html"
    },
    {
      "title": "Dehydration: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia",
      "url": "https://www.medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000982.htm"
    },
    {
      "title": "Volume Depletion — Merck Manual Professional Edition",
      "url": "https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/nephrology/fluid-metabolism/volume-depletion"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hypernatremia — Merck Manual Professional Edition",
      "url": "https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/nephrology/electrolyte-disorders/hypernatremia?autoredirectid=37376"
    },
    {
      "title": "Diarrhoeal disease — World Health Organization",
      "url": "https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diarrhoeal-disease"
    },
    {
      "title": "Oral rehydration salts — World Health Organization",
      "url": "https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-FCH-CAH-06.1"
    }
  ],
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}