Table 4.3Classification of dehydration severity by WHO76

No dehydrationSome dehydrationSevere dehydration
Not enough signs to classify as some or severe dehydrationTwo or more of the following signs:
  • restlessness, irritability
  • sunken eyes
  • drinks eagerly, thirsty
  • skin pinch goes back slowly
Two or more of the following signs:
  • lethargy/unconsciousness
  • sunken eyes
  • unable to drink or drinks poorly
  • skin pinch goes back very slowly (≥2 seconds)

From: 4, Assessing dehydration and shock

Cover of Diarrhoea and Vomiting Caused by Gastroenteritis
Diarrhoea and Vomiting Caused by Gastroenteritis: Diagnosis, Assessment and Management in Children Younger than 5 Years.
NICE Clinical Guidelines, No. 84.
National Collaborating Centre for Women's and Children's Health (UK).
London: RCOG Press; 2009 Apr.
Copyright © 2009, National Collaborating Centre for Women’s and Children’s Health.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher or, in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK [www.cla.co.uk]. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the terms stated here should be sent to the publisher at the UK address printed on this page.

The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant laws and regulations and therefore for general use.

NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.