June 28, 2016 – Drinking More

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Anchor lead:  Keeping hydrated may be important in stroke outcomes, Elizabeth Tracey reports

People who were dehydrated and had a stroke fared worse both right afterward and a few months later, than those who weren’t dehydrated, a Johns Hopkins study led by stroke expert Mona Bahouth has shown.  But Bahouth says this doesn’t mean if you’re having symptoms of a stroke you should drink.

Bahouth: This really just tells us about your hydration status at the time the stroke happens, and will hopefully help your doctors and nurses to give you more hydration at the time of the stroke, it does not mean to drink water at the time of stroke.   :12

Bahouth hopes this study will encourage everyone to drink more water, especially as they get older.

Bahouth:  We know just from basic physiology and basic medicine that as you get older you lose your sense of thirst, your thirst drive, and so it’s more important to be aware of drinking water as we get older because your body doesn’t always give you those cues.  :13

Bahouth says those who are helping care for older people can also get on board with encouraging them to drink water, and says offering beverages that people are known to like often works best.  At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.