BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hydration disorders are frequent in clinical practice and can be a life threatening issue in frail patients. Mild dehydration (1-2% loss of body weight) appears to impair cognitive and muscular performance. There is, however, no infallible indicator of correct hydration, and of hydration disorders. This study aim at describing total body water [...]

While a sensation of thirst causes severe distress for a certain proportion of cancer patients in the terminal stage, the factors contributing to this symptom have not been established. To clarify the association between sensation of thirst and medical factors, especially dehydration, a cross-sectional observational study was performed on terminally ill cancer patients receiving inpatient [...]

Elderly patients with heart failure (HF) may be troubled by thirst, despite the fact that elderly have an impaired ability to sense thirst. The present study was undertaken to compare the intensity of thirst in patients with and without HF and to evaluate how this symptom relates to the health-related quality of life and indices [...]