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Older adults are more susceptible to problems associated with fluids and electrolyte concentration when compared with other population groups that predisposes situation most often an imbalance of water and sodium. Older people have a lower body water content as a result of your body composition and is characterized by a decrease in lean mass (muscle) and increased body fat. Although the hydration of lean mass per se is not influenced by age, the tendency to loss of muscle mass with age is associated with a lower water content in the body, which increases susceptibility to dehydration, especially when an increase in body temperature.

Dehydration is a common problem in the elderly, as their homeostatic capacity is diminished and does not let you efficiently regulate the levels of liquids and electrolytes in the body. In addition, numerous studies show that seniors generally do not consume adequate amounts of fluids and sufficient enabling them to maintain adequate hydration and electrolyte concentration in the ideal plasma.

Where does the fluid intake to the body?

Fluid intake (water) comes from three sources: fluid intake, water food and water generated in the metabolic processes. Water losses can be through the skin (increased sweating in warm, fever), respiration (respiratory diseases and increased physical effort), gastrointestinal (increased in diarrhea) and renal (urine).

Why the elderly need to take care of your hydration?

Around the fifth decade of life, the weight of the kidneys gradually comes down, the number of intact glomeruli decreases and the number of sclerotic glomeruli increases. This results in aging changes in renal function that occurs due to reduction of glomerular filtration, decreased ability to concentrate urine, sodium and excrete large amounts of water. That is, an old man, need more water to excrete the same amount of sodium and waste products to a young person.

What about thirst in the elderly?

The higher age is also a decrease in the sensation of thirst. The mechanisms appear to be associated with a lower osmotic sensitivity (cardiopulmonary baroreceptors and reflex) and alterations in various neurotransmitters. It was also found that changes in oropharyngeal receptors can decrease the taste for fluid intake. Studies comparing young versus older persons in situations of water deprivation, show that at the end of the period, the elderly consume less water than the young, which increases the risk of holding a high osmolality in the decrease plasma.La of thirst, is also observed in response to heat stress and thermal dehydration, even increasing the risk of hyperthermia.

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