Thiruvananthapuram: The drought in the state has led to dehydration-related health issues among people apart from causing drinking water shortage in many places.
According to doctors, the number of people coming to hospitals with severe dehydration, exertion and exhaustion has been increasing.
The problem is more acute in children and elderly. Even subtle loss of water in the body could have a huge effect, especially in these age groups. “On an average for an adult, 1500 ml urine is lost daily and about 500-1000 ml by way of sweat. During prolonged periods of high temperature, the loss of water could increase by 500 to 1000 ml. The problem could be acute among people above 70 years of age as they may not realise that they are dehydrated. The sensation might be lost. Hence, family members and caretakers should be cautious about the rising temperature and need for hydration,” said diabetologist Dr Jothydev Kesavadev.
Parents need to keep a close watch on their children to ensure they are properly fed and hydrated.
“Water and electrolyte drain out of body because of profuse sweating. Water intake must balance water loss from the body. But people do not balance it leading to severe health issues,” he added.
Many patients coming to hospitals complain of extreme tiredness, weakness to attend to daily work and children find it difficult to concentrate on studies. Most people do not realise that the health.problems might be because of loss of water. Despite temperatures soaring, many people continue to drink the same amount of water which they used to do on days with normal temperature.
Dr Jasheel, cardiologist of Manjeri Medical College, said some of his patients complained of disorientation, confusion and tiredness. “Since heart patients are on diuretics, special attention is needed to ensure their sodium levels do not dip,” he added. Loss of water can result in abnormal behaviour, loss of memory, increased occurrences of heart attacks and strokes as blood becomes thicker. “Irrespective of the age group, there are higher chances of kidney stone and urinary infection. Abdominal pain should not be ignored as it could be related to kidney stone. In such cases, one must consult doctors and get an ultra sound scan done,” said Dr Jothydev.
