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Clinical symptoms of dehydration

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dehydration AND clinical signs

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dehydration symptoms adults children signs CDC

Common symptoms and signs of dehydration
Mild to moderate dehydration
  • Thirst
  • Dry mouth, tongue, lips, or throat
  • Passing less urine than usual
  • Dark yellow, strong-smelling urine
  • Tiredness or weakness
  • Headache
  • Dizziness or light-headedness, especially on standing
  • Dry skin
  • Reduced sweating or tears
  • Muscle cramps
  • Nausea
More severe dehydration
  • Very little or no urine
  • Fast heartbeat or rapid breathing
  • Marked dizziness, fainting, or inability to stand
  • Confusion, unusual sleepiness, irritability, or reduced alertness
  • Sunken eyes
  • Cold, pale, or clammy skin
  • Low blood pressure or shock
In infants and young children
  • Few wet diapers or no urine for 3 hours or more
  • Crying without tears
  • Dry mouth and tongue
  • Sunken eyes, or a sunken soft spot on the head in an infant
  • Unusual drowsiness, lethargy, or irritability
  • Poor feeding
Seek urgent medical care for confusion, fainting, no urine, rapid breathing/heartbeat, or severe weakness, particularly in babies, older adults, and anyone with ongoing vomiting or diarrhea. The MedlinePlus overview and CDC guidance list these warning signs. Textbook descriptions also include thirst, fatigue, dizziness progressing to confusion, dry mouth, sunken eyes, and skin tenting. Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine, DEHYDRATION.
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