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Dehydration – Diagnosis, stages, and prevention

Dehydration – Diagnosis, stages, and prevention

Your body requires to have a certain amount of water present in it at all times. Without it, the body cannot perform at its best. The lack of water in the body is known as dehydration, which can lead to various other problems. Dehydration can be mild, moderate, and even severe, which can lead to serious health problems. Hence, you must drink enough water throughout the day.

How to diagnose dehydration

The signs of dehydration can help you diagnose if you are suffering from the condition because of the lack of water in your body. The mild form can result in thirst, dry mouth, not peeing regularly, dark yellowish pee, dry skin, muscle cramps, and headache. If you continue to suffer from dehydration, the symptoms will get more serious. Your pee will get even darker and your skin can become extremely dry. You will also experience a lack of energy, sleepiness, sunken eyes, rapid breathing, faster heartbeat, irritability, dizziness, and fainting. The symptoms of dehydration in babies can include having no tears, dry mouth, dry diapers for hours, a lack of energy and, sunken cheeks, among others.

Your body naturally loses water due to sweating, peeing, and the secretion of saliva. Eating food containing water and drinking fluids prevents your body from losing too much water. However, you still can get dehydrated due to lack of water. The dehydrated state of your body can be a result of a variety of reasons. The water level in your body is often lowered by fever, diarrhea, vomiting, excessive sweating, and medical conditions that make you peeing excessively.

Different stages of dehydration

Up to 65% of your body is made of water, and maintaining its balance is really important to stay healthy and hydrated. If the presence of water in your body starts to lower for any reason, your health starts to get worse, and it can happen very quickly. There are different stages of dehydration and the last stage can ultimately lead to death. Dehydration starts with simple thirst but if the body does not get the water immediately, your kidneys will start to send less water to your bladder, which results in a lack of peeing. Your body temperature starts to rise as you sweat less and your blood becomes thicker.

The second stage two of the dehydrated state is fainting. It is caused due to low blood pressure as the lack of water in the body makes your blood too thick to flow smoothly.

The next stage of dehydration is organ damage. The lack of blood flow to your organs causes them to stop functioning properly. The rising body temperature adds up to the misery too as your organs start overheating. If not treated immediately, this can lead to permanent damages to your organs or even death.

Prevention

The best way of preventing dehydration is to be aware of fluid loss in your body. You must drink enough water, juice, or any other form of fluid to maintain the required level of water in your body. If you are going out, always take a bottle of water with you. If it helps then set reminders on your phone that you need to drink water.

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Understanding arthritis – A common joint condition

The joints are constantly working while we move our limbs, so, understandably, people may develop certain joint conditions that cause pain and compromise mobility, especially with age. One of the common joint conditions is arthritis, which leads to joint inflammation and mild to severe pain. While there are several types of arthritis, the two most common types are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Stages Rheumatoid arthritis has four stages: Stage 1: At this stage, inflammation occurs inside the joints, and swelling, stiffness, and joint pain are the common symptoms. Stage 2: The inflammation of the joint lining, synovium, aggravates at this stage and results in cartilage damage. The affected joints’ range of motion is also compromised, causing pain and discomfort. Stage 3: At this stage, the severity of the joint condition increases, and it leads to bone damage. This results in more pain, loss of mobility, and weakness of muscles. The bones rubbing against each other can cause bone deformity as well. Stage 4: This is the final stage where the joints stop functioning completely. It leads to more pain, stiffness, and swelling, and the bones may even fuse, which is known as ankylosis. Osteoarthritis also has four stages of progression: Stage 1: Wear and tear may affect the knee joints, and minor spur growths on the affected bone can also be seen, but the condition does not cause too much pain at this stage. Stage 2: The bone spur growths increase and cause pain, and the knee joints become stiffer. Stage 3: This stage is characterized by joint inflammation leading to increased pain and stiffness. Walking can also cause popping sounds in the joints. Stage 4: The space between the bones in the joints becomes very narrow, causing the cartilage to wear down. Also, a chronic inflammatory response caused by the breakdown of cartilage aggravates discomfort and pain. Diagnosis of arthritis These joint conditions can be diagnosed using several tests. A physical examination reveals whether a patient has red, warm, and tender joints, and this test also helps examine the fluid around the joints. A rheumatologist can analyze the level of inflammation in the joints to determine the type of arthritis an individual is affected with. Also, blood tests are undertaken to check for antibodies like anti-CCP, rheumatoid factor, and antinuclear antibody. In addition, X-ray, CT scans, and MRI are also performed to check the condition of the cartilage and bones. Prevention of arthritis A family history of joint conditions like arthritis or aging can increase one’s risk of developing arthritis, but making certain lifestyle changes can also help lower the chances of developing the condition. To start with, one should include more foods with omega-3 fatty acids in their diet as these healthy fats are anti-inflammatory. One should also exercise regularly, keep their weight under check, reduce stress on their joints, and try to avoid injuries. Also, if one notices any symptoms of arthritis, they should consult a doctor immediately as early diagnosis goes a long way in managing the condition effectively through timely treatment.

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Everything you need to know about chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition that causes extreme tiredness and fatigue that does not go away even after resting. The causes of the condition are yet to be known. However, there are some theories indicate several factors which include:Viral infectionStressOr several factors in unisonOnce the symptoms are identified and the condition is diagnosed, treatment can be taken to get relief from symptoms. Understanding all aspects of the condition, including its stages, diagnosis, symptoms, and prevention can help in managing it effectively.Different stages and phases of chronic fatigue syndromeThe patients of chronic fatigue syndrome undergo four phases of the condition. Their response towards the treatment can also vary greatly depending on the phase that they are going through. These phases are:Phase I: Crisis or traumaPhase II: StabilizationPhase III: ResolutionPhase IV: IntegrationDuring all the phases, a chronic fatigue syndrome patient undergoes some physical, psychological, and social changes that are easily noticeable.Diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndromeNo one test can diagnose a patient with chronic fatigue syndrome. This is because the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome resemble several other health conditions. Therefore, a lot of patience is required for the diagnosis of the condition.To diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome, there a lot of other conditions that the doctor will have to rule out first. These conditions include the following:Medical conditionsFatigue and tiredness are symptoms associated with a lot of medical conditions. These can be anything ranging between deficiency of iron in the body to hypothyroidism. To rule these out, blood tests will be conducted first.Sleep disordersSleep-related conditions can cause fatigue. Therefore, the patient might be asked to undergo a sleep study first. This study will help the doctors to rule out any sleep-related problems such as restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea. Lung and heart disordersIf your heart and lungs are not healthy, fatigue will be one of the most common symptoms. Therefore, any such problem with the organs needs to be detected first before chronic fatigue syndrome can be diagnosed.Mental health problemsThere are several mental conditions that can cause fatigue. Depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and several other mental health conditions can affect the energy levels of the body. Therefore, these conditions need to be ruled out first.Prevention of chronic fatigue syndromeThe patients of chronic fatigue syndrome always remain in a relapse and remission cycle. Therefore, it is important that when a person is in their remission stage, they do everything possible to prevent the relapse of symptoms. Here are some tips to prevent it:Do not exert your bodyWhen you are feeling fine, you might end up overexerting yourself. This becomes one of the most common causes of relapse in chronic fatigue syndrome patients. Therefore, to avoid the crash, do not do anything that overuses the energy levels of your body.Get enough sleepGetting quality sleep at night can keep the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome at bay and boost energy levels in the patients.Avoid stressStressful conditions cannot be avoided. However, your mechanism to deal with stress should be strong enough to keep you away from draining all the energy.

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