The mother of an infant is upset to learn that the baby's diarrhea caused the infant to become quite ill. What should the nurse explain about an infant that makes diarrhea an important problem to treat?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In the adult, extracellular water represents approximately 23% of total body water; in a newborn, extracellular water is closer to 40%. This means that an infant does not have as much water stored in the cells as an adult and so is more likely to lose a devastating amount of body water with diarrhea. Because of this, there is no such thing as "only diarrhea" in a child younger than 1 year of age. Infants do not have shorter intestines than adults. Infants do not have a higher proportion of fluid than adults. Infants do not have a fluid content that is proportionally less than that of an adult.

The Mother of an Infant Is Upset to Learn That