["Terminal" dehydration, part 1 : Differential diagnosis and body of evidence]

Dehydration in palliative care patients can be associated with increased morbidity and mortality and is nevertheless therapeutically controversial. This article provides an overview of possible causes of dehydration at the end of life and places special emphasis on "terminal" dehydration in the dying. Empirical attitudes of healthcare professionals and persons concerned (patients and relatives) as well as evidence-based findings on "terminal" dehydration are elucidated and the limitations are described. Finally, it is concluded that the appropriate detection of the mode of dehydration (including its underlying pathophysiology) as well as the clinical evaluation of the "reversibility" of the symptoms after fluid therapy, is of central importance in establishing the indications for clinically assisted hydration (CAH).