During the summer months, older New York City residents may be at risk for becoming dehydrated. The effects of dehydration can range from minor dizziness to heat stroke. Elderly people have a propensity to become dehydrated due to the medications they take, forgetfulness about eating or drinking and weaker thirst sensations. At the same time, it can be challenging for doctors to diagnose elderly people with dehydration.
During the summer months, older New York City residents may be at risk for becoming dehydrated. The effects of dehydration can range from minor dizziness to heat stroke. Elderly people have a propensity to become dehydrated due to the medications they take, forgetfulness about eating or drinking and weaker thirst sensations. At the same time, it can be challenging for doctors to diagnose elderly people with dehydration.
A study on dehydration in older adults has been conducted at East Anglia University in the United Kingdom. Researchers analyzed blood and urine samples from 383 people over the age of 65. Both blood and urine can be used to diagnose dehydration, and researchers wanted to find out how well the two testing methods agreed when they were used to diagnose elderly patients.
The researchers concluded that the misdiagnosis of dehydration is a big problem for elderly patients. In many cases throughout the study, a urine sample did not indicate that a patient was dehydrated when a blood sample did test positive for dehydration. Blood tests are believed to be more accurate while urine tests are simpler to perform. The reason urinalyses does not always work with older people is that impaired kidney function and medications such as warfarin can throw off the results of tests.
A doctor might fail to diagnose dehydration in an elderly patient if a blood sample is not taken. If a diagnosis of dehydration is delayed, the lack of treatment for dehydration could cause a patient to be harmed. In such an event, legal assistance may be warranted when seeking compensation for the medical expenses and other losses resulting from the worsened condition.
