Dehydration is defined as which of the following?

• A. Total volume content decrease
• B. Increase in total body water
• C. Edema
• D. Hypervolemia

Answer: (A)

Dehydration means a loss of water from the body, leading to a reduced total body water. The option describing a decrease in total water content fits this idea, because it captures the overall drop in body water rather than changes in salt balance, tissue fluid distribution, or blood volume alone. Increasing total body water would be the opposite of dehydration, edema represents fluid buildup in tissues, and hypervolemia is an increased blood (vascular) volume. So the best description is a reduced total body water.