Percentages of athletes exhibiting signs usually considered to indicate clinical dehydration in three groups of Ironman triathletes differing in their extent of weight loss during the race
| Variable | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data are presented as percentages (sample size). Group 1, weight loss exceeding 5%; group 2, weight loss of 3.5–4.5%; group 3, weight loss of 3% to a weight gain of 3%. | |||
| Sweating | 50 (13) | 64 (30) | 71 (64) |
| Able to spit | 57 (17) | 81 (26) | 78 (35) |
| Eyes sunken | 61 (17) | 71 (24) | 76 (34) |
| Oedema of the hands | 0 (0) | 3 (1) | 2 (1) |
| Pre-tibial oedema | 4 (1) | 0 (0) | 5 (2) |
| Oedema of the lungs | 0 (0) | 3 (1) | 3 (1) |
| Decreased skin turgor | 21 (6) | 9 (3) | 26 (12) |
| Decreased ring tightness | 7 (2) | 0 (0) | 2 (1) |
| Increased ring tightness | 3 (1) | 9 (3) | 4 (2) |