Prevention of dehydration in the elderly based on accurate measurements of water metabolism and the body water volume

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The objectives of this study were to clarify the characteristics of water balance in daily living, develop a simple method for screening of elderly people for increased tendency to dehydration, and evaluate assessment parameters convenient to use in the field. These objectives were approached by studying (1) age-associated changes in the distribution of intra- and extracellular water using a simple method (segmental bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (SBIS)), (2) correlations between the body water volumes measured by SBIS and parameters for skin dryness evaluation, and (3) characteristics of lifestyle in community-dwelling elderly people who developed heat stroke. As a result: (1) The extracellular water (ECW)/total body water (TBW) ratio in the lower leg was found to increase with age; (2) both the intracellular water (ICW) and ECW volumes were significantly correlated with wrist skin dryness in elderly people in need of assistance in daily living, in whom the TBW is lower than in independent elderly people, suggesting that wrist skin dryness is a parameter useful for dehydration assessment; and (3) heat stroke in elderly people appeared to be intricately related to not only the physical condition but also social activities and cognitive functions. Support for the prevention of heat stroke based on the above findings is considered necessary.