JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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JAMA
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Practice Guideline Guideline
Dehydration. Evaluation and management in older adults. Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association.
To review published literature regarding dehydration in older individuals and formulate a consensus on the evaluation and treatment of this unrecognized cause of hospitalizations, morbidity, and mortality. ⋯ Early diagnosis is sometimes difficult because the classical physical signs of dehydration may be absent or misleading in an older patient. Many different etiologies place the elderly at particular risk. In patients identified as being at risk for possible dehydration, an interdisciplinary care plan with regard to prevention of clinically significant dehydration is critical if maximum benefit is to result.