Assessing dehydration

How to assess it

The degree of dehydration is judged clinically: the child's activity, eyes, mucous membranes, tears, skin turgor, urine output and capillary refill. A precise fluid-loss figure is not needed — what matters is the severity across the signs together.

Moderate dehydration

• restlessness or irritability;

• sunken eyes, dry mucous membranes, reduced tears;

• thirst, the child drinks eagerly;

• a skin fold that flattens slowly.

Red flags

Severe dehydration — urgent, call an ambulance:

• lethargy, drowsiness, the child is hard to wake;

• unable or barely able to drink;

• a sunken fontanelle, sharply reduced or absent urine output;

• cold extremities, mottling, capillary refill longer than 3 seconds;

• signs of shock.

What to do

• mild to moderate dehydration — oral rehydration;

• severe, or unable to drink — hospital admission and intravenous rehydration;

• weigh the child where possible to track the trend.

Related topics

How to give fluids by mouth — see Oral rehydration.