dehydration | Notion

Clinical presentation

Examination findings have poor sensitivity and specificity
They include dry mucous membranes, loss of skin turgor, sunken eyes, and in severe dehydration tachycardia, hypotension and delirium

Intravenous fluid is generally required if:
- The child is > 10% dehydrated, or
- The child is if 5–10% dehydrated and oral or enteral rehydration is not tolerated or possible
Oral rehydration is adequate, if tolerated, in the majority of those less than 10% dehydrated
The following table shows fluid requirements for children over 1 month

Body-weight	24-hour fluid replacement
Under 10 kg	100 mL/kg
10-20 kg	100 mL/kg for the first 10 kg
50 mL/kg for each 1 kg body weight over 10 kg
Over 20 kg	100 mL/kg for the first 10 kg
50 mL/kg for each 1 kg body weight between 10-20 kg
20 mL/kg for each 1 kg body weight over 20 kg
(max. 2 litres in females, 2.5 litres in males)