Severe dehydration
Type: Symptom
Definition
A critical, life-threatening depletion of body water and essential electrolytes.
Clinical Details
Because the gastrointestinal fluid loss is so violently rapid, the body cannot adequately compensate by drawing fluid from interstitial spaces. The circulating blood volume plummets, causing the patient's eyes to sink, skin to lose all elasticity, and blood pressure to crash. This profound hypovolemia leads directly to fatal circulatory shock.