hypovolemia

noun

hy·​po·​vo·​le·​mia ˌhī-pō-vä-ˈlē-mē-ə 

medical : a decrease in the volume of circulating blood in the body (as from traumatic injury or severe dehydration)

… fever and hypotension are common features in critically ill patients and may be attributed to sepsis and hypovolemia.

—Mark S. Cooper et al.

hypovolemic

ˌhī-pō-vä-ˈlē-mik 

adjective

hypovolemic shock with multiple organ failure following rapid blood loss

a hypovolemic patient

Examples of hypovolemia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The coroner ruled Carol’s cause of death as hypovolemia, which is when the plasma is too low from excessive bleeding; multiple stab and incised wounds from a sharp instrument; and a blunt force injury that fractured the skull, according to the coroner’s report. —Stephanie Warsmith, USA Today, 8 June 2025

The family said that Joe was suffering from major hypovolemia, a condition in which the body loses fluid, which is crucial to maintaining organ function, according to The Guardian. —David Chiu, People.com, 20 Feb. 2025

Acute kidney failure: When the body loses too much fluid (hypovolemia), the kidneys can lose their ability to filter blood, causing toxins to accumulate. —Kashif J. Piracha, Verywell Health, 12 July 2024

If the infestation is extreme and a person is exposed to bed bug bites for a long period of time, the individual may develop anemia and symptoms of low blood volume, known as hypovolemia, Pereira said, adding that the scenario is rare. —Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hypovolemia

• academia
• acidemia
• azotemia
• bacteremia
• hyperaemia
• hyperemia
• hypoxemia
• septicaemia
• septicemia
• thalassaemia
• thalassemia
• tularemia

Medical Definition

hypovolemia

noun

hy·​po·​vo·​le·​mia

variants or chiefly British hypovolaemia

-väl-ˈē-mē-ə 

: decrease in the volume of the circulating blood

hypovolemic adjective

or chiefly British hypovolaemic

-ˈē-mik