Diagnosis and treatment of hypertonic dehydration in the elderly / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Hypertonic dehydration is prevalent in the elderly, increases the risk of adverse events, reduces quality of life, and increases hospitalization and mortality.Current methods of diagnosing dehydration, such as physical signs, urine tests, urea nitrogen/creatinine, bioelectrical impedance and saliva, are not suitable for the diagnosis of dehydration in the elderly.There is no gold standard for the diagnosis of hypertonic dehydration in the elderly.The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism(ESPEN)recommends the direct measurement of plasma/serum osmotic pressure or using an osmotic pressure formula[osmolarity(mmol/L)=1.86 ×(Na + + K + )+ 1.15×glucose+ urea+ 14](all measured in mmol/L)for the diagnosis of hypertonic dehydration.