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Dehydration in Kids : Causes and Treatment

Team AckoFeb 8, 2024

Dehydration in kids is a common condition, which takes place when the body loses more amount of fluid than the intake. In a country like India, dehydration is very common in slums due to poor hygienic conditions and unavailability of clean drinking water.

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Dehydration in Kids

Dehydration once in a lifetime attacks almost everyone but the ones who are prone to the same are babies and children below 10 years of age. Apart from poor conditions, the irony is people are neither aware nor educated of the severity of dehydration which if left untreated can prove to be fatal. The condition gets severe when the essential salts that are responsible for healthy fluid balance in the body are lost. They are as essential as air, water and food.

These salts are basically Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), and Chlorine or to be precise Chloride (Cl2). The body needs a healthy balance of all these minerals, and since babies are more vulnerable compared to adults, parents need to be extra cautious keeping them hydrated.

Causes of dehydration in Kids

Dehydration in itself hardly takes place all of a sudden, it starts with certain symptoms like high fever where a kid dislikes eating or drinking anything or vomits where more of body fluids are lost and leaves a bad and foul taste in the mouth.

Children are often prone to many infections as a result of a manifestation of germs through the things picked up from the ground and put in the mouth so loose motion is yet another condition which may lead to severe dehydration. The more the loss of vitals the severe is the degree of the fluid imbalances and more dehydration. The other general symptoms could be that of drowsiness associated with weakness and low energy levels. Dry cracked lips and sunken eyes and presence of no tears while crying — look for these symptoms and immediately rush for a treatment.

Treatment of dehydration in kids

Government across the globe have time and again published warnings and have developed certain programs educating people on the value of cleanliness washing of hands and washing of veggies and fruits or for that matter any eatable before eating. Not only this, Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) is available at almost every medical shop, which is to be administered every 5–10 minutes in small quantities. To maintain a normal electrolyte ration, prepare a salt and sugar solution at home and make the child drink the same. They are available in many variants and flavours which your child will surely like but if the situation doesn’t come under control even then, look for a doctor who will administer few medications and the fluids through an IV or intravenous, by injecting a syringe.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.

 

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