The heat of the summer could be gratifying especially this summer but too much of it is unhealthy especially that there are medical risks that may go along with this. One of the common yet most serious is the heat stroke.
Heat stroke would usually affect the older people who live in areas which lack good airflow or homes with lack of air conditioning. People who don’t drink enough water and yet have active and heavy daily activities are also most likely at risk at this. Those which have chronic illnesses and those who drink excessive amounts of alcohol should also be particular of their health especially this summer.
Heat stroke is strongly associated with the heat. The heat index measures of how hot you feel when the effects of relative humidity and air temperature are combined, and your body could not escape from this when you are outside. The thing you could perhaps do is how to address it.
Considering the humidity against our body, a relative humidity of 60% or more hampers sweat evaporation which eventually hinder our body’s ability to cool itself. So when the heat index climbs to 90% degrees or more, the risk of heat-related illnesses especially the heat stroke increases.
Those people living in the urban area where the heat temperature usually rises are most likely prone to develop heat stroke especially during prolonged heat wave and when the atmospheric condition becomes stagnant.
Considering that heat stroke is serious, medical emergency should be consider if it happened. If you suspect one has heat stroke, call for medical attention to immediately arrive. You might notice the following to the prospect or to yourself before fainting:
- Throbbing headache
- Dizziness and light-headedness
- Lack of sweating despite the heat
- Red, hot, and dry skin
- Muscle weakness or cramps
- Nausea and vomiting
- Rapid heartbeat, which may be either strong or weak
- Rapid, shallow breathing
- Behavioral changes such as confusion, disorientation, or staggering
- Seizures
- Unconsciousness
While waiting for the paramedics to arrive, there are things that you could do to the victim. First aid could help the heat stroke victim as any delay on medical help could happen.
- Move the person to an environment where air is conditioned and cool.
- Remove unnecessary clothing that hinders the air to enter the body.
- If it is possible to get the person’s core body temperature do so and initiate first aid to cool it to 101 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While wetting his or her skin with water from a sponge or garden hose, try to fan air over the patient.
- Penetrate on the areas where blood vessels are rich and are close to the skin like armpits, groin, neck, and back with pack of ice. Cooling them may reduce body temperature.
- Plunge the patient in a shower or tub of cool water, or an ice bath.
If you have history of this, be sure to always bring water with you especially this summer.
Source: http://www.webmd.com/