How to treat 6 diseases caused by hot weather

Doctor Nguyen Viet Hau, Deputy Head of the Emergency Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that the human body is most adapted to temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius.^oC. When the temperature is too cold or too hot, the body cannot adjust in time.

Children (under 4 years old), the elderly (over 70 years old) or people with many medical conditions, poor thermoregulation. Depending on the time, level of exposure, environmental temperature, diseases caused by temperature will appear with degrees ranging from mild to severe.

1. Heat edema

Symptoms appear when the body changes suddenly to a hot environment. Swelling appears in the lower body such as the ankles and feet, due to blood vessels dilating to release heat. When the body adapts in a few hours or days, the symptoms will disappear.

Treatment:You can elevate your legs while sleeping to help blood circulation. You should not take diuretics to reduce swelling, because they can increase dehydration.

2. Rash

Skin areas exposed to sunlight or high temperatures outside are easily irritated, causing rashes and hives.

Treatment:After a while, the skin will recover and no treatment is needed. If the itching is severe, you can use anti-allergy drugs and limit exposure to sunlight. After that, the body will adjust itself and the symptoms will disappear.

3. Cramps

The disease often occurs in people who do heavy labor or athletes who train at high intensity. At that time, the muscles have to work continuously, causing loss of water and salt, leading to muscle spasms. The patient has pain in the muscles, especially in the thighs and calves.

Treatment:You can use pain relievers, rest, move to a cool place, rehydrate with mineral salts, electrolyte solution to treat diarrhea, lemon juice mixed with salt, sugar... Note, do not use filtered water because it cannot meet the body's need for salt and water loss.

4. Fainting

This condition is common in people who travel in the summer, have to go out in the sun, climb mountains, move a lot, do military training... causing loss of salt and water. If water is not replenished in time, the water in the blood vessels will decrease, causing low blood pressure. People in a standing position can easily reduce blood flow to the brain, causing fainting.

Treatment: Place the fainted person with head low, move to an area with fresh air, loosen clothing, rehydrate with mineral salts, monitor for about 30 minutes, if stable, no need to go to hospital.

5. Exhaustion

The main cause is a longer-lasting loss of salt and water than the above diseases. Symptoms include fainting, headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.

Treatment:The patient needs to be given first aid promptly and moved quickly to a cool environment. Delay will cause heat stroke.

6. Heat shock

Heat stroke has a mortality rate equivalent to a heart or brain stroke. The victim's body temperature can rise above 40 degrees Celsius, causing headaches, dizziness, nausea, drowsiness, impaired perception, convulsions, and coma. The cause is prolonged loss of salt and water from the body, overloading the body's ability to regulate temperature. The disease damages the cardiovascular, respiratory, liver, kidney, and nervous systems.

Treatment:Provide temporary first aid by placing the patient with the head low, moving them away from areas with high temperatures, reducing the temperature by using a fan, and soaking the victim in cool water for a few minutes. Use gauze soaked in cold water or ice to place on areas of the body with many blood vessels such as the forehead, back, armpits, groin... then immediately transfer the patient to the hospital.