Can mild dehydration cause brain damage in the elderly?

Could My Child Have Brain Damage From Something That Happened When He Was A Baby(Dehydration,Pyloric Stenosis)?

• When my son was a baby he had Pyloric Stenosis at 6 weeks old we rushed him to the hospital and when we got in there he had a seizure and had been passed out. We later found out he had severe dehydration.The doctors at the hospital told us we got him there just in time a few minutes longer we would of lost him. I kept taking him to his pediatrician for the vomiting and other stuff that had to do with the Pyloric Stenosis (which at that time was unknown about) and he never noticed the dehydration or anything he kept telling me it was a feeding problem and had me keep switching the formula. He is now 8 yrs old and he has been having lots of trouble in school. They did some test and told me that half of his brain does not work. I'm wondering if the dehydration when he was a baby could of caused this brain damage to him? If so is there anything I can do to the doctor for not catching this? and causing this life long problem?

• Answer:

  I can certainly understand why you are upset and concerned. When you say, "They did some test and told me that half of his brain does not work." I am really upset to hear this....because this is such an unprofessional, vague and idiotic diagnosis! First, who did this testing? What tests were given and did you receive the written results of these tests? Have you taken the results of these tests to your son's pediatrician in order to get a course of action for his care? Because ALL learning disabilities can be worked with and the patient can expect to receive some benefit from specialized techniques and methods. And so what is being done to help your son now? And as far as severe dehydration in newborn infants is concerned, I believe only your pediatrician can answer that correctly for you. Since each case is different and since six weeks is a long time to go without nourishment and hydration for a newborn, I believe you would certainly need the opinion of his pediatrician and anyone else who can verify and substantiate your concern. Six weeks seems incredibly long for a newborn to go without any nourishment and it certainly seems that the dehydration should have been diagnosed BEFORE then, especially if you had taken him to be seen before those six weeks. The only thing you can do now for your son is to be proactive in making sure that his mental state is professionally diagnosed and that your school system has found a plan by which he can be taught successfully, irregardless of his learning disability. You owe him that first. And I would certainly contact an attorney about this. Write down everything you can remember and make a file up of his birth record, any bills or written direction you received when he was an infant, any hospital records, etc. Your son deserves better than he has received. Its up to you to see that this changes and that he has a serious advocate for his welfare in you. I wish you and him all the best.