Mega Doctor News
The heat is on across South Texas, with triple-digit temperatures already being recorded across the Rio Grande Valley.
Unfortunately, elevated temperatures, especially extreme heat, pose serious health risks, potentially leading to dehydration and heat-related illnesses, especially among children.
Dehydration is a serious threat to children due to their higher metabolic rate, greater surface area to volume ratio and inability to communicate thirst effectively.
It can lead to severe health complications, including organ and brain damage, even death
Ranging from mild to severe, dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluids than it takes in, leading to insufficient water for normal bodily functions.
In the United States, a sizable portion of children are affected by dehydration, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with studies showing more than half (54.5%) are inadequately hydrated.
“Mild dehydration can usually be treated by consuming water and fluids, but it should be monitored to prevent severe dehydration, which can lead to serious complications or even death,” says Santos Cantu, MD, an emergency medicine and pediatric critical care physician who serves as the medical director of the emergency department at South Texas Health System Children’s. “Unfortunately, children tend to dehydrate faster than adults because they lose more fluid quickly. It doesn’t help that children don’t have a developed thirst mechanism and, in most cases, can’t identify the issue and subsequently are unable to communicate that they’re in need of water.”
That’s why it’s crucial for parents to learn the warning signs and symptoms of dehydration and monitor their children to ensure they’re properly hydrated.
So, to help parents and caregivers keep their kids healthy and hydrated this summer, South Texas Health System Children’s is dedicating its latest Let’s Talk Children’s Health webinar to the dangers of dehydration.
Streaming live via the STHS Children’s Facebook page on Wednesday, June 18, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., the online seminar will feature a children’s health expert discussing the general signs of dehydration and how to ensure your child is consuming enough fluids to avoid dehydration.
For more information on the webinar, visit the STHS Children’s Facebook Events page. To watch previous Let’s Talk Children’s Health Seminars, visit STHSLetsTalk.com.
| Who: | South Texas Health System Children’s |
| What: | FREE virtual seminar entitled “Let’s Talk Children’s Health – Dehydration” |
| When: | Wednesday, June 18, 2025, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. |
| Where: | Online via STHS’ Facebook page |
