pediatrics
Dehydration in Children
Symptoms and Signs of Dehydration in Children
Symptoms and signs of dehydration vary according to degree of deficit (see table) and by the serum sodium level. Because of the fluid shift out of the interstitiumintothe vascular space, children with hypernatremiaappearmore ill (eg, with very dry mucous membranes, a doughy appearance to the skin) for a given degree of water loss than do children with hyponatremia. However, children with hypernatremia have better hemodynamics (eg, less tachycardia and better urine output) than do children with hyponatremia, in whom fluid has shiftedoutof the vascular space. Dehydrated children with hyponatremia may appear only mildly dehydrated but are actually closer to hypotension and cardiovascular collapse than are equally dehydrated children with elevated or normal sodium levels. 