Warning Signs of Severe Dehydration

Diarrhea is among the childhood illnesses in the Philippines taken for granted by parents.

With this, many children suffer from diarrhea complications and die from it.

Among the worst scenario is for the child to go through severe dehydration and eventually die if not treated immediately.

To prevent your child to go through this stage, here are some of the warning signs of severe dehydration to be aware of and to report to your doctor.

Difficult to awaken

If your child is having diarrhea for several days and shows signs of abnormal sleep, you should be alarmed.

This means, your child is already on the severe stage of his diarrhea where he experiences severe dehydration.

Explanation to mothers that too much sleep during this stage is not good but rather a bad sign of impending health treat.

Although, it is a challenge to let the child drink as the child seems to be involved in deep sleep all the time, it is imperative to tell the mother to let her child take fluid.

Not able to drink

A child with severe dehydration has a difficulty drinking or swallowing even for sips of water.

You may observe the child to be lazy holding a cup, cannot reach out for a cup, or cannot drink without any help.

Mothers should be advised to encourage their child to drink and if still nursing to continue breastfeeding at this period.

Small sips of water or ORS should be given at intervals with the use of a spoon, dropper or other means convenient for the child.

Sunken eyes

The eyes of a dehydrated child look sunken.

However, this should not be mistaken for children with natural sunken eyeballs or deep seated eyes.

If you are the nurse, ask the mother if the eyes are sunken as she is in the best position to know if the eyes are unusual.

Poor skin turgor

To test poor skin condition, pinch the skin of the child. If it goes back longer than two seconds to its original state, it is a sign of severe dehydration.

Usually, it is the skin in the abdomen which is pinched using your thumb and your pointing finger.

Make sure not to use finger tips and not to grasp too little skin because this is painful.

Once the pinched skin is released, observe the way it goes back to its original state.