Advice - Mind, Body and Family, May '14
By Dr. Tirthankar Guha Thakurta
Remember the good old days of summer vacations? It was all fun except the holiday homework. With the earth warming up every day, summer holidays have become more of a necessity than fun.
How do we recognize the symptoms of heat stroke? The patient will have a very high body temperature – around 105 degrees Fahrenheit or more. The urine will be scanty and dark colored, and the skin will be dry (may be moist in humid weather). The pulse may be rapid and in severe cases, consciousness may be altered.
Confused? Disturbed? Just inquisitive? Write in any query on the mind, body and family to vartablog@gmail.com, and Dr. Tirthankar Guha Thakurta, teaching faculty at a Kolkata-based medical college, will be happy to answer them – with due respect to confidentiality.
Remember the good old days of summer vacations? It was all fun except the holiday homework. With the earth warming up every day, summer holidays have become more of a necessity than fun.
Global warming has paved the way for a deadly environmental
disease – heat stroke. While most of us have heard of the term, not many of us
clearly understand what it implies.
Heat stroke is not ‘stroke’ in true sense of the medical term.
The word stroke refers to a lack of blood flow or a state of bleeding inside
the brain. In heat stroke, there is no such blood flow disorder in brain. However,
the affected individual can become unconscious by other mechanisms.
Heat stroke refers to an inability of the body to cool down
after exposure to heat. Our body temperature rises when we are exposed to a hot
environment. But it is promptly brought down by many mechanisms, particularly
sweating. High body temperature stimulates sweat secretion; the sweat
evaporates and takes away surface heat in the process.
This machinery may fail if the sweat secretion stops,
evaporation of sweat becomes slow due to humidity, or the heat exposure is just
too much for the body to handle. Sweating can also become low because of some
medications, or when we are dehydrated. Under such situations if we work under
the sun for long hours, our body temperature can shoot high.
Closed spaces like a car without air-conditioning (even with
the windows partly open) can have a temperature double the outside temperature
in summer months. Children, old individuals and pets are at a higher risk for
heat stroke as they may not be able to move on their own to cooler places or
express themselves verbally.
Beat the heat with . . . |
Photo credits: Pawan Dhall |
How do we recognize the symptoms of heat stroke? The patient will have a very high body temperature – around 105 degrees Fahrenheit or more. The urine will be scanty and dark colored, and the skin will be dry (may be moist in humid weather). The pulse may be rapid and in severe cases, consciousness may be altered.
At the first identification of these symptoms, the patient
has to be physically cooled. The body may be sponged with cold water or the
patient may be given a cold water bath. It is important to rehydrate the person
with plenty of water or isotonic drinks (drinks diluted with salt and sugar). Heat stroke is not the same as fever;
drugs like paracetamol are not useful.
It is best to prevent this notorious disease with simple
measures. Remember to carry an umbrella when under the sun. Avoid exertion in
summer months under the sun or in very humid weather. Drink plenty of fluids.
Wear loose cotton clothes to allow perspiration. And in the event of a stroke, remember
to start the basic treatment before medical help arrives.
Some of you might wonder if having sex in summer can also lead
to heat stroke. Sexual activities do generate a lot of heat by burning
calories. But there is really no restriction on sex unless it is performed
under the scorching midday sun in a dehydrated state.
Make the most of the summers. But remember to play safe!
Confused? Disturbed? Just inquisitive? Write in any query on the mind, body and family to vartablog@gmail.com, and Dr. Tirthankar Guha Thakurta, teaching faculty at a Kolkata-based medical college, will be happy to answer them – with due respect to confidentiality.
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