Understanding Dehydration Secondary to Cough
There is no specific medical term for "dehydration secondary to cough" in the clinical literature or established guidelines. The question appears to conflate two separate clinical entities that may coexist but are not causally linked in the direction implied.
The Actual Clinical Relationship
Dehydration does not result from cough itself; rather, dehydration can worsen respiratory conditions that cause cough. The evidence demonstrates the opposite causal relationship:
Dehydration as a Risk Factor in Respiratory Disease
In pneumonia patients, dehydration is associated with doubled odds of medium-term mortality (OR 2.3,95% CI 1.8 to 2.8), with this effect consistent across all pneumonia types including community-acquired, hospital-acquired, and aspiration pneumonia 1.
Dehydration of the upper airways increases risks of respiratory diseases including COVID-19, asthma, and COPD, with hydration status affecting respiratory droplet generation and oxygen saturation 2.
In COPD patients, fluid distribution disturbances are negatively associated with pulmonary function, with those having impedance ratio ≥0.84 showing lower FEV1, FVC, and DLCO compared to adequately hydrated patients 3.
Clinical Presentations Where Both May Coexist
Patients with severe respiratory infections may develop dehydration through multiple mechanisms unrelated to the cough itself:
- Increased insensible fluid losses from fever and tachypnea 1
- Reduced oral intake due to dyspnea, fatigue, or altered mental status 4
- Increased metabolic demands from the underlying infection 1
The cough is a symptom of the respiratory condition, while dehydration is a comorbid state that worsens outcomes 1.
Diagnostic Considerations
Plasma osmolality >300 mOsm/kg represents the gold standard for determining dehydration, though this objective marker is underutilized in clinical practice 4.
- Direct measurement of plasma osmolality is the gold standard for determining dehydration status 4
- Raised plasma osmolality usually indicates dehydration, while values ≤280 mOsm/kg classify hypoosmolar states 4
- Outside extremes, signs of adult dehydration are subtle and unreliable 4
Clinical Implications
In patients with respiratory conditions and cough, addressing dehydration is critical for improving outcomes:
- Educating pneumonia patients to drink ≥1.5 L fluid/day alongside lifestyle advice increased fluid intake and reduced subsequent healthcare use 1
- Hydration of the nose, larynx, and trachea with calcium-rich hypertonic salts in COVID-19 patients increased oxygen saturation by 48.08% ± 9.61% over three days (P < 0.001) 2
- Supporting hydration has the potential for rapid positive impacts on pneumonia outcomes at low cost 1
The term you may be seeking is simply "dehydration in the context of respiratory illness" or "dehydration complicating respiratory infection," but there is no specific medical terminology for dehydration caused by cough itself, as this causal relationship does not exist in the medical literature 1, 4, 2.