Dehydration in Newborns Admitted to Intensive Care for Ehs Nouar Fadela

Introduction: Dehydration (DSH) in newborns can have potentially fatal consequences such as cerebral oedema, intracranial haemorrhage, subdural haematoma, hydrocephalus and gangrene. In light of the increasing number of newborns with dehydration, there is a strong need to increase awareness and raise suspicion in the diagnosis of this potentially fatal condition.  Objective: To describe dehydration in the newborn, its complications and the method of appropriate management.  Patients and method: Retrospective descriptive and analytical study, from January 1, 2019 to May 31, 2021. Study population: We included all newborns and infants aged 0 to 30 days, hospitalized during the period with clinical and biological signs of dehydration. Hypernatremia was defined by a natremia ≥ 150 mmol/L. Data were collected in Excel and analysed using R 3.5.0 software. Conclusion: Neonatal dehydration is not as rare as is commonly believed. Feeding difficulties in newborns may result in inadequate secretion of sodium into the breast milk. Monitoring the mother and newborn in the first week of life for successful establishment of breastfeeding is essential. In an otherwise healthy newborn, poor feeding and weight loss may be a reason to suspect hypernatremia. Neonatal hypernatremia due to breast milk hypernatremia is now a well-established entity and should be sought in all newborns with hypernatremia. There is no reason to stop breastfeeding even if the sodium level in the breast milk is high as it decreases over time. Breastfeeding is still extremely beneficial for the baby and should be strongly recommended.