Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

A pediatrician’s approach to dehydration in children

Christopher Johnson, MD
Conditions
June 24, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

Our bodies are mostly water — about 60% water, in fact. This varies a little with age and sex, but it is a good rough estimate. Of that 60% water, about a third of it is outside the body’s cells, so-called extracellular fluid, and two thirds of it is inside the body’s cells, so-called intracellular fluid. The easiest way to remember this is the “60/40/20″ rule: total body water is 60% of our weight, intracellular water is 40% of total body weight, and 20% of body weight is extracellular water. Water can move back and forth between these compartments as needed. Dehydration is a relative deficit of body water, and children are especially prone to developing it.

Dehydration results from loss of body water being greater than replacement of it. Our bodies lose fluid constantly: our kidneys must make a minimum amount of urine to stay functional; we lose water as sweat; and our breath, being fully humidified (saturated with water) takes water from our bodies. These are called obligatory, or insensible water losses. Children have a proportionately higher insensible losses than do adults because their ratio of surface area to body mass is higher. Children also tend to breath faster, especially whey they are sick.  So, compared with adults, children need to take in a relatively larger amount of water to keep all those body compartments full.

What causes dehydration in children? The most common causes are those that increase losses, such as diarrhea, vomiting, or rapid breathing from some respiratory problem. Sick children also tend to take in less fluid, so decreased intake of fluids also contributes.

How can we tell if a child is dehydrated? The most common early sign is decreased urine production, since the kidneys respond to the problem by conserving water. The urine also becomes more concentrated because there is less water in it. As a rule of thumb, the kidneys of a child weighing 10 pounds normally puts into her bladder about 1-2 teaspoons of urine per hour. This is easy to keep track of in infants because a parent can tell if the baby is wetting diapers at the rate she usually does.

As dehydration becomes more advanced, there are other signs we look for. These include a decrease in weight (because so much of our body is water), listlessness, poor color with a doughy feel to the skin, and a more rapid heart rate.

Most cases of dehydration can be treated with increased oral fluids, but sometimes, particularly if the child is too listless to drink or is vomiting a great deal, we use intravenous fluids for a day or so until the child is better. We have a good rough guide, based on body weight, about how much fluid a child needs to keep from becoming dehydrated when they are sick.

A common version of the formula divides children into three categories: less than twenty-five pounds, twenty-five to fifty pounds, and over fifty pounds. The first group needs about a half teaspoon of fluid each hour for each pound of body weight. This means a ten-pound child needs five teaspoons an hour, which is a little more than two- thirds of an ounce, or roughly about two ounces every three hours. A twenty-pound child then needs twice that—about four ounces every three hours.

The second group of children, those weighing twenty-five to fifty pounds, need about four to six ounces every three hours. Children weighing over fifty ponds need about six to eight ounces every three hours.

A cup of juice is usually about four ounces and a large glass closer to eight ounces. So offering you child something to drink every three to four hours should keep them well hydrated.

We have some blood tests that can also tell us how dehydrated a child is. These tests measure the concentrations of some of the normal components of the blood. These include the blood sodium, potassium, and bicarbonate. Along with those we often measure a couple of indicators of kidney function — the creatinine and urea nitrogen. All of those things together constitute one of the most common blood test panels we get on sick children. The panel goes by several names, including basic metabolic profile, Chem 6, or electrolyte panel. We don’t need blood tests in mildly dehydrated children, but if you take your child to the doctor for what looks like more significant dehydration the doctor will often check that blood test because it guides what to do.

If your child is getting dehydrated, what kind of fluid should you give to head off or treat the problem? Medical opinion on this has changed a little over the years, but most doctors still recommend an over-the-counter balanced salt solution, at least for children under two. This contains all of the electrolytes listed above, as well as some glucose. The most common brand name is Pedialyte. Older children can drink almost any fluid. You can monitor how your child is doing by how much urine she is making and her overall state of alertness. The best way to give the fluid is in frequent, small amounts, especially if your child is vomiting.

When should you bring your child to the doctor? Especially for younger children, listlessness is a good sign of when to go in for an evaluation. A dry mouth or sunken fontanel (soft spot) are also signs of significant dehydration. Another reason would be continued vomiting and/or diarrhea that makes you concerned that you are not keeping up with ongoing fluid loss.

Christopher Johnson is a pediatric intensive care physician and author of Your Critically Ill Child: Life and Death Choices Parents Must Face, How to Talk to Your Child’s Doctor: A Handbook for Parents, and How Your Child Heals: An Inside Look At Common Childhood Ailments.  He blogs at his self-titled site, Christopher Johnson, MD.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

Help patients find information on the Internet: Tips to surf safely

June 24, 2013 Kevin 4
…
Next

Genomics and personalized medicine: Is it really different this time?

June 24, 2013 Kevin 3
…

Tagged as: Pediatrics

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Help patients find information on the Internet: Tips to surf safely
Next Post >
Genomics and personalized medicine: Is it really different this time?

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Christopher Johnson, MD

  • The success of Australian firearms regulation: What it could mean for children

    Christopher Johnson, MD
  • Do protocols and pathways improve care?

    Christopher Johnson, MD
  • Why are so many community hospitals transferring children to larger facilities?

    Christopher Johnson, MD

More in Conditions

  • Why medicine must stop worshipping burnout and start valuing humanity

    Sarah White, APRN
  • Why perinatal mental health is the top cause of maternal death in the U.S.

    Sheila Noon
  • A world without vaccines: What history teaches us about public health

    Drew Remignanti, MD, MPH
  • Unraveling the mystery behind one of the most dangerous pregnancy complications: preeclampsia

    Thomas McElrath, MD, PhD and Kara Rood, MD
  • How community paramedicine impacts Indigenous elders

    Noah Weinberg
  • Pain is more than physical: the story your body is trying to tell

    Katie Hatt, DO
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How community paramedicine impacts Indigenous elders

      Noah Weinberg | Conditions
    • Why Canada is losing its skilled immigrant doctors

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • How to speak the language of leadership to improve doctor wellness [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How medical culture hides burnout in plain sight

      Marco Benítez | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Why Canada is losing its skilled immigrant doctors

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Would The Pitts’ Dr. Robby Robinavitch welcome a new colleague? Yes. Especially if their initials were AI.

      Gabe Jones, MBA | Tech
    • Why medicine must stop worshipping burnout and start valuing humanity

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why screening for diseases you might have can backfire

      Andy Lazris, MD and Alan Roth, DO | Physician
    • How organizational culture drives top talent away [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How community paramedicine impacts Indigenous elders

      Noah Weinberg | Conditions
    • Why Canada is losing its skilled immigrant doctors

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • How to speak the language of leadership to improve doctor wellness [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How medical culture hides burnout in plain sight

      Marco Benítez | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Why Canada is losing its skilled immigrant doctors

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Would The Pitts’ Dr. Robby Robinavitch welcome a new colleague? Yes. Especially if their initials were AI.

      Gabe Jones, MBA | Tech
    • Why medicine must stop worshipping burnout and start valuing humanity

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why screening for diseases you might have can backfire

      Andy Lazris, MD and Alan Roth, DO | Physician
    • How organizational culture drives top talent away [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

A pediatrician’s approach to dehydration in children
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...