A series of health risks in hot weather

Nghe An Newspaper reporter had an interview with Dr. Nguyen Duc Phuc - Head of Intensive Care Department, Nghe An General Hospital about this issue.

PV:In the summer, Nghe An often has prolonged hot weather, with temperatures reaching over 40 degrees Celsius in some places. In the summer of 2024, with the influence of El Nino, it is predicted that particularly severe heat waves may occur. Could you please tell us about the dangerous health problems caused by heat waves?

Dr. Nguyen Duc Phuc:In the summer, hot weather will cause body temperature to increase suddenly, the body cannot adapt in time, so it can lead to heat edema, rash, cramps, fainting, exhaustion, and even heat shock leading to stroke.

When the ambient temperature increases, blood vessels dilate to dissipate heat and cause edema. Symptoms of heat edema include swelling in the lower body, such as the ankles and feet. This symptom disappears as the body adapts over a period of several hours or days. If the symptoms do not disappear on their own, the patient should elevate their legs while sleeping to allow normal blood circulation. Mild cases do not require medication.

When the weather is hot, skin areas exposed to sunlight or high temperatures outside are easily irritated, causing rashes and hives. After a while, the disease will recover on its own, without the need for specific treatment. If severe itching occurs, people can use common anti-allergy drugs, limit exposure to sunlight, then the body will adjust itself and the symptoms will disappear.

With cramps, the disease often appears in heavy laborers or athletes who have to train with high intensity. Symptoms of the disease are pain in the muscles, especially in the thighs and calves. When having cramps, people can use common pain relievers, rest, move to a cool place, and rehydrate with mineral salts. After resting and rehydrating, the symptoms will self-limit and disappear.

In the summer, fainting can occur and is common in people who have to go out in the sun a lot, causing the body to lose salt and water, reducing blood pressure and reducing blood flow to the brain. First aid for fainting is very important. To give first aid, the patient needs to lie down with the head down, move to a cool area, loosen clothes and pants, and replenish water with minerals. Monitor for about 30 minutes, if the victim's condition is stable, there is no need to go to the hospital.

When the loss of salt and water lasts longer than the above situations, it will lead to exhaustion. At that time, the patient will not only faint but also have neurological symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting... If first aid is given promptly, the body will recover completely. First aid for heat exhaustion is the same as when fainting, but requires closer monitoring. Cold towels can be applied to areas with many blood vessels such as the forehead, back, armpits, groin... Drink as much water as possible. If symptoms do not improve within 30 minutes to 1 hour, the patient should be taken to the hospital.

Heat stroke is a disease with a mortality rate equivalent to a heart attack or a stroke. Heat stroke occurs when there is prolonged loss of salt and water, accompanied by an overload of the thermoregulatory center. Prolonged hyperthermia damages the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, liver, kidneys, and especially the nervous system. Heat stroke can often occur in the elderly, people with weakened bodies, children, people with cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, or endocrine disorders. The signs are that the victim's body temperature can rise above 40 degrees Celsius, accompanied by neurological symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, drowsiness, impaired perception, convulsions, and even coma.

When there are symptoms of heat stroke, it is necessary to temporarily give first aid to the victim by placing the victim's head down, moving them away from the high temperature area, reducing the temperature by using a fan or soaking the person in cool water for a few minutes, using gauze or a towel soaked in cold water or ice placed on areas with many blood vessels such as the forehead, back, armpits, groin... to help the body release heat faster. At the same time, call 115 emergency to transfer the victim to the hospital immediately.

PV:According to medical statistics, in the summer, when the heat lasts for a long time, many elderly people suffer from strokes. Can you tell us more about this condition?

Dr. Nguyen Duc Phuc:First of all, we need to understand about stroke: Stroke is also known as cerebrovascular accident. The disease occurs when a blood vessel ruptures, blood escapes from the vessel wall and flows into the brain parenchyma, subarachnoid space and ventricles...; when a branch of the brain's blood vessel is blocked, that branch becomes ischemic and causes necrosis.

There are many factors that cause stroke, in which, heat is one of the factors that can cause stroke in the elderly (the greater the temperature fluctuation, the higher the risk of stroke. If the temperature fluctuation chart increases by 5 degrees Celsius, the stroke rate will increase to 6%). In particular, the risk for the elderly with heart disease (heart failure, history of myocardial infarction...), vascular disease such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis or due to frequent high blood fat, diabetes...

On hot days, the body must release heat by sweating, breathing quickly, urinating, dilating blood vessels in the skin, increasing heart activity to push blood to the body surface to release heat... In the elderly, the body's ability to regulate body temperature is worse because all functions have been reduced. Therefore, high body temperature causes dysfunction in the central nervous system's coordination of vital activities, disrupts breathing and circulation, reduces blood supply to the brain and will lead to stroke.

The hotter the weather, the more likely it is to cause stroke in the elderly, the higher the temperature, the more severe the stroke. When the outdoor temperature is 39 - 40 degrees Celsius or higher, it is very easy to cause stroke in the elderly. Therefore, consider sunny days above 39 - 40 degrees Celsius as a dangerous temperature threshold to take measures to protect the elderly and prevent stroke.

Symptoms often appear suddenly and are not severe, but may become more severe over time. A common symptom is paralysis or sensory disturbance on one side of the body. This may involve paralysis of the upper or lower limbs or simply numbness.

Or one side of the mouth droops, the philtrum is crooked, and there is difficulty speaking or finding the right word, or not understanding what others say; blurred vision, reduced vision or complete blindness in one eye; there may be a sudden severe headache, especially, accompanied by nausea, vomiting or dizziness; staggering and loss of coordination.

These symptoms may disappear completely after a few seconds or a few minutes, this is called a “transient ischemic attack”. However, the patient needs to see a specialist immediately even if the symptoms are gone, because this is a warning sign that a stroke is about to occur.

When a victim has a stroke, an ambulance must be called immediately. While waiting for assistance or an ambulance, the patient must be placed in a side-lying position to protect the patient's airway. Because if the patient vomits while lying on his back and is not fully conscious, he can easily inhale vomit into the lungs, causing airway obstruction or respiratory failure, which is very dangerous. If the patient is in a coma, when lying on his back, the tongue will fall down the throat, obstructing and blocking the airway.

PV:Summer weather with hot and humid climate lasts for a long time, creating favorable conditions for many types of viruses, bacteria, and parasites to develop, causing many diseases to increase, break out, and be difficult to control in both adults and children. What are the common summer diseases and how do they spread?

Dr. Nguyen Duc Phuc:In the summer, the temperature increases, the weather is hot, humid, and rainy, parasites, viruses, and bacteria that cause disease have the opportunity to develop strongly, making people susceptible to diseases and reducing resistance... In addition, the living habits of people, regions, and areas also make summer epidemics have a high risk of outbreaks.

There are many types of summer diseases, such as: flu, dengue fever, chickenpox, Zika virus disease, hand, foot and mouth disease, diarrhea. Flu is not a dangerous disease but can cause complications of upper respiratory tract infections or chronic diseases in children and the elderly. For pregnant women, if they get the flu in the first 3 months of pregnancy, it can easily lead to birth defects.

With chickenpox - an infectious disease caused by the Varicella Zoster virus and is highly contagious, it can be transmitted through the respiratory tract. Healthy people are susceptible to infection if they inhale droplets of saliva that are released when a chickenpox patient coughs, sneezes or sneezes... especially children. In addition, the disease can be transmitted from blisters when they burst, from damaged skin or ulcers from an infected person.

Zika virus disease is an acute infectious disease, mainly transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, which can cause epidemics. The disease is transmitted from person to person through sexual contact, blood, and from mother to child. Currently, there is no specific treatment or vaccine for this disease.

In the summer, hand, foot and mouth disease not only breaks out in children, but also appears in adults, the causative agent is still the virus. The disease spreads through direct contact with an infected person (nasal or throat secretions, saliva, fluid from blisters, coughing or sneezing). There is no treatment or vaccine to prevent the disease.

Summer is also the time when diarrhea increases. There are many causes of the disease, including viruses and bacteria, the most dangerous of which is diarrhea caused by cholera bacteria (also known as cholera). The disease is transmitted through the digestive tract through contaminated food and drinking water. The disease is closely related to environmental conditions, water, food safety and people's hygiene habits.

PV:To proactively prevent disease in the hot summer, what should people pay attention to?

Dr. Nguyen Duc Phuc:During the hot summer, people should limit going out in the hot weather when it is not really necessary. If you have to go out in the hot weather, you should wear a hat, clothes, glasses, mask... to protect yourself from the heat.

Actively drink plenty of water, especially those who work outdoors, lose a lot of water so drink lemon juice or diluted salt water, water mixed with Oresol..., however, should not drink too much ice water or water that is too cold, it can cause sore throat. Do not set the air conditioner temperature in the room too low; do not let the fan blow directly on the body.

Eat cooked food and drink boiled water, ensure food hygiene and safety. Increase nutrition, eat more fruit to ensure enough vitamins, increase the body's resistance. Improve personal hygiene, wash hands often with soap, especially before preparing food, before eating, after going to the toilet. Clean nose and throat daily with salt water.

Regularly clean surfaces, daily contact objects, door handles, stair handrails, table tops, chairs, floors, children's toys, school supplies... with soap or common detergents. Clean the environment well; actively kill mosquito larvae, use hygienic toilets...

PV:Thank you!