Dehydration occurs when there is not enough fluid in a child’s body.
Most commonly, it is caused by a viral infection that causes fever, diarrhoea and or vomiting and a reduction in a child’s ability to eat or drink.
- Increased sweating from a very hot environment can also cause dehydration.
- Excessive urination caused by unrecognised or poorly treated diabetes, (not taking insulin) is another cause.
- Some of the more common viral infections which cause vomiting and diarrhoea include rotavirus or winter vomiting disease (Norovirus), which can lead to dehydration.
- Sometimes sores in a child's mouth caused by a virus make it painful to eat or drink which can also lead to dehydration.
- Infants and young children are much likelier to become dehydrated than older children or adults.
Find out more about what causes dehydration in children