The skin is also important in maintaining body water levels and preventing water loss into the environment. Serious levels of dehydration can be reflected in reduced skin turgor that is displayed by tenting of the skin as a flag for dehydration (Popkin, D’Anci & Rosenberg, 2010).
The body’s core temperature is usually between 36-37 0C. The core temperature is balanced by heat gains and losses, the body uses sweat and evaporation of sweat to cool the body (Ridley & Channing, 1999). Loss of water through sweat is carried out by eccrine sweat glands which are evenly distributed over most of the body surface (Popkin, D’Anci & Rosenberg, 2010). Hydration …show more content…
Diarrhoea illness results not only in a reduction in body water, but also electrolyte imbalances. Mortality in such cases may be prevented with appropriate oral rehydration therapy of dilute solutions of salt and sugar in water to replace fluid lost by diarrhoea (Popkin, D’Anci & Rosenberg, 2010).
Body System - Lymphatic
The lymphatic system transports a fluid called lymph from the tissues as it returns to the bloodstream. It’s main function is to defend the body against aggressive agents entering the body or to destroy accumulated waste. It does this through two functions. The lymph system transports fatty acids from the intestines to the circulatory system and lymphatic tissue filters and cleans the lymph of waste, abnormal cells, or pathogens (Taylor, 2015).
Research on the effect of dehydration on lymphatic structures and lymphatic network in small rodents performed by Guseinov & Guseinova (2007) found that that the lymphatic network significantly decreased. This included an increase in the distance between intestinal glands, lymphoid nodes and lymphatic capillaries. Ensuring the body is hydrated will ensure that the lymphatic network is performing its function to remove waste at the cellular level from the