Dying of thirst

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Help against thirst ( William Adolphe Bouguereau )

The thirst refers to the death by lack of intake of drinking water . Death usually occurs from cardiac arrest due to kidney failure . The risk of dying of thirst is a major problem in arid areas (see water crisis ) when drinking water is not available; so also after (natural) disasters such as floods , earthquakes , burial (e.g. after an explosion in a mine).

Background, causes and symptoms

The body needs water both in the blood plasma and in the cells to maintain metabolism and for thermoregulation .

The daily water requirement of a person is between 680 and 2250 milliliters - among other things, depending on age, body weight, state of health, ambient temperature and physical activity. Regular physiological fluid loss occurs through urine and stool excretion, breathing and perspiration . The body can also lose fluids through bleeding, vomiting or breastfeeding. If, in these cases, the lost amount of fluid is not replaced, i.e. too little or no drinking or water-containing food is consumed, the tissue fluid in the body will steadily decrease. This dehydration leads to desiccosis (dehydration).

From a water loss of 0.5 to 3 percent in the human body, the person concerned usually feels thirsty . Speech disorders and an unsteady gait develop from ten percent. As the disease progresses, lethargy occurs, blood pressure drops, and the kidneys reduce urine output. As a result, urinary substances accumulate in the blood, which have a harmful effect on the organs and organ systems and thus lead to internal poisoning. Death usually occurs within two to six days, as the kidneys stop working completely ( kidney failure ) and the resulting excess potassium in the blood leads to cardiac arrest. In extreme cases, survival for up to twelve days is possible. The period of time depends, among other things, on the outside and body temperature and the physical condition of the person; for example, water retention in the tissue ( edema ) can increase survival time.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Reference values ​​of the DA-CH societies for nutrition and nutrition research (2000). In: PflegeFakten. Urban & Fischer, Munich 2009, p. 214.
  2. ↑ a b Ursula Schersch: How long does a person survive without water? On derstandard.at from September 7, 2011 ; accessed on June 26, 2019
  3. ↑ Johanna Bayer: Drink right! What does water do in the body? Status: 06/13/2014; on www.daserste.de ; accessed on June 26, 2019

See also