Dehydration occurs when someone loses fluid from the body and does not replace it. If untreated, someone with dehydration can develop heat exhaustion.
Possible causes include:
excess sweating during exercise
too much exposure to the sun or humid conditions
sweating from a raised body temperature. For example, a fever
loss of fluid from severe diarrhoea and vomiting.
Signs and symptoms
Look for:
a headache or light-headedness
dizziness or confusion
a dry mouth and dry eyes
dry or cracked lips
reduced amounts of dark urine
muscle cramps, such as to the calves.
Special attention should be paid to babies and young children as they may also have pale skin with sunken eyes and can deteriorate very quickly.
What to do
Reassure the casualty and help them to sit down.
Give them plenty of water. You can also use an oral rehydration solution. These can help to replace fluid as well as the correct salt and other minerals they’ve lost.
Do not mix regular cooking salt into water and give it to the casualty, this will make the condition worse.
If they have any painful cramps, encourage them to rest. Help them to stretch and massage the muscles that are affected.
Monitor the casualty’s level of response.
If the casualty appears to be unwell, seek medical advice.
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