factors. The process can take only hours if the weather is very hot and dry, or it can take a few days if it is cloudy and cooler.
In severe dehydration the blood pressure falls as the loss of water from the body reduces the blood volume. Also, electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium are lost through sweating, which can lead to muscle weakness and cramps.
Thirst, an early symptom, doesn't appear until considerable loss of water has occurred. This means that by the time thirst develops, the person is already well into dehydration. Thirst is followed by fatigue, shortness of breath, weakness, muscle cramps, nausea and sometimes vomiting, delusions, delirium, and finally collapse, coma, and death.
With a high ambient temperature, body temperature can rise dramatically, and once it gets above 103 or so, the mind isn't as sharp as it should be. The victim will not be able to think well and may literally wander in circles or hallucinate. Mirages can be seen as a result.
Of course, mirages are due to the physics of light. Heat rising from a desert or a road bends light rays due to changes in density of the air (hot air is less dense than cooler air). The result is that you see blue sky below the horizon, and it looks like a body of water. Often a person who is dehydrated and confused will rush blindly toward it but can never reach it because it doesn't exist and because the optical illusion keeps moving away, so to speak.
The young and the old are particularly susceptible to dehydration and heatstroke since they tend to have less muscle and tissue
mass in which to store water. They dehydrate faster and show the signs and symptoms of dehydration earlier and more severely.
In your scenario both the summer heat and the altitude would conspire to hasten your lady's dehydration. The heat would increase sweating, and the low water vapor pressure (meaning the air is dry) that is found at higher altitudes would accelerate insensible loss of water through the lungs. Another factor would be her degree of hydration at the time her adventure began. If she was already a little dry, she would get into trouble more quickly. Also, as explained above, the more active she is, the faster she would dehydrate. If she sits in a cool spot and waits for someone to find her, she might survive for several days. If she attempts to walk over hilly terrain, she might not last twenty-four hours. Obviously, if she has any underlying heart or lung disease or perhaps diabetes, her survival time would decrease.
What Is the Treatment for Dehydration?
Q: What's the first aid treatment for dehydration? In my story a forest ranger comes across a severely dehydrated and weakened hiker. He carries the young man to safety. But what would he actually do? Dribble water between his lips and get him to a hospital? Then what? An IV with a glucose drip?
A: That's right. Get water in any way you can safely do it, such as sips or dribbles at first, depending on the condition and level of consciousness of the victim. Other treatment depends on whether heat prostration or heatstroke is present.
If the environment is cool or cold, as in the mountains or snowy areas, wrap the victim in blankets, towels, or sweaters since dehydration in these circumstances often leads to a drop in body temperature. Typically, the victim of this type of dehydration feels cool
to the touch and appears pale. If the dehydration is severe, the blood pressure will be low and the pulse weak and thready, and confusion and disorientation are likely. Giving fluids (preferably warm liquids) and warming the victim are the major frontline treatments.
In your story, heat prostration and heatstroke are more likely since the ambient temperature is high. These two entities are similar, with the latter being more severe. Both are caused by dehydration and rising core body temperature. Common victims include runners, football players, construction workers, military personnel, and anyone who
In severe dehydration the blood pressure falls as the loss of water from the body reduces the blood volume. Also, electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium are lost through sweating, which can lead to muscle weakness and cramps.
Thirst, an early symptom, doesn't appear until considerable loss of water has occurred. This means that by the time thirst develops, the person is already well into dehydration. Thirst is followed by fatigue, shortness of breath, weakness, muscle cramps, nausea and sometimes vomiting, delusions, delirium, and finally collapse, coma, and death.
With a high ambient temperature, body temperature can rise dramatically, and once it gets above 103 or so, the mind isn't as sharp as it should be. The victim will not be able to think well and may literally wander in circles or hallucinate. Mirages can be seen as a result.
Of course, mirages are due to the physics of light. Heat rising from a desert or a road bends light rays due to changes in density of the air (hot air is less dense than cooler air). The result is that you see blue sky below the horizon, and it looks like a body of water. Often a person who is dehydrated and confused will rush blindly toward it but can never reach it because it doesn't exist and because the optical illusion keeps moving away, so to speak.
The young and the old are particularly susceptible to dehydration and heatstroke since they tend to have less muscle and tissue
mass in which to store water. They dehydrate faster and show the signs and symptoms of dehydration earlier and more severely.
In your scenario both the summer heat and the altitude would conspire to hasten your lady's dehydration. The heat would increase sweating, and the low water vapor pressure (meaning the air is dry) that is found at higher altitudes would accelerate insensible loss of water through the lungs. Another factor would be her degree of hydration at the time her adventure began. If she was already a little dry, she would get into trouble more quickly. Also, as explained above, the more active she is, the faster she would dehydrate. If she sits in a cool spot and waits for someone to find her, she might survive for several days. If she attempts to walk over hilly terrain, she might not last twenty-four hours. Obviously, if she has any underlying heart or lung disease or perhaps diabetes, her survival time would decrease.
What Is the Treatment for Dehydration?
Q: What's the first aid treatment for dehydration? In my story a forest ranger comes across a severely dehydrated and weakened hiker. He carries the young man to safety. But what would he actually do? Dribble water between his lips and get him to a hospital? Then what? An IV with a glucose drip?
A: That's right. Get water in any way you can safely do it, such as sips or dribbles at first, depending on the condition and level of consciousness of the victim. Other treatment depends on whether heat prostration or heatstroke is present.
If the environment is cool or cold, as in the mountains or snowy areas, wrap the victim in blankets, towels, or sweaters since dehydration in these circumstances often leads to a drop in body temperature. Typically, the victim of this type of dehydration feels cool
to the touch and appears pale. If the dehydration is severe, the blood pressure will be low and the pulse weak and thready, and confusion and disorientation are likely. Giving fluids (preferably warm liquids) and warming the victim are the major frontline treatments.
In your story, heat prostration and heatstroke are more likely since the ambient temperature is high. These two entities are similar, with the latter being more severe. Both are caused by dehydration and rising core body temperature. Common victims include runners, football players, construction workers, military personnel, and anyone who
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