As temperatures soar, docs gear up for heat-related cases

Nagpur: Eighty people have died of heatstroke in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the first week of April. With temperatures in the city too rising, doctors are already seeing children suffer from heat-related illnesses. They say that city needs to be prepared to handle the onslaught of more such cases even among the adults as this year is touted to be among the hottest years in a few decades.The maximum temperature has touched 43.6 degrees Celsius this month and temperatures being above 40 degrees most afternoons. Children, elderly and people with low immunity are especially at the danger of falling prey to heat-related diseases. Though no adults have been reported to be suffering from any of these illnesses, government hospitals in the city have already been prepared to deal with the situation.
Meanwhile, parents need to take care of children as weather becomes increasingly hot.
“These days, kids have their exams, extra classes or some other activities to attend all through summers. It would be good if parents and schools are mindful of not scheduling these activities during afternoons. Before summers begin, in-school activities can be taken up to inform children about hydration and not eating out during summers,” said paediatrician Dr Girish Charde. He added that children between the ages 3 and 10 need more care as among whom high-grade fevers can cause convulsions and viral chill like symptoms.
“A bigger problem can be heat pyrexia or fever resulting from exposure to heat for a long duration,” informed paediatrician Dr RG Patil. “We see that when dealing with such fevers, parents keep sponging off the kid’s forehead with cold water. Instead, they should be sponging the entire body with tepid water. They can also wrap the whole body with a sheet and rub the child’s body through the sheet to bring out the heat. They can also cover all sides of the bed with wet sheets or sacks,” he said.
The condition makes parents more scared than it ought to, believes paediatrician Dr Vasant Khalatkar. “Just because the body temperature is high doesn’t mean that the child suffers from fever. Knowing that the child has been exposed to heat helps determine if it is heat pyrexia or some other illness,” he said.
Agreed paediatrician Dr Uday Bodhankar. He said, “Some April showers in between brought down the number of kids suffering from illness. However, children tend to be more vulnerable as they have low immunity. Also, most kids these days have low heat bearing capacity as they are not used to being outdoors a lot.”
Looking at the seriousness of the illness, government hospitals have prepared special cold wards. At Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), the ward has three coolers and eight beds while the one at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGMCH) has a six-bedded ward, both of which can be extended if required.
“Over the years, people have become more aware, resulting in the number of people needing treatment for heat-related illnesses reduced by a huge margin,” said head of medicine department of GMCH Dr Vrunda Sahastrabhojanee.
SOME HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES
Long exposure to sun can cause sunstroke, heat exhaustion and dehydration which lead to problems like heat rashes, cramps, swelling and heat stress
If one is too active while exposed to sun’s heat for a long time, the electrolytes and fluid loss can result in dizziness, nausea and weakness. This is called heat exhaustion
Sunstroke causes the body to stop sweating thus losing its ability to cool itself
PREVENTION
Avoid going out when it is too hot
Avoid long exposure to heat, cover head and ears while venturing outdoors
Ensure that your body remains covered as much as possible with light-coloured clothes made of cool fabrics like cotton
Keep yourself sufficiently hydrated
SYMPTOMS
Body temperature rises above 102F
Heavy sweating, drowsiness or nausea
Dry and itchy skin
Loss of appetite
Trouble in breathing, restlessness, irritability
Increased heart rate
DO’S AND DON’TS
Instead of carbonated drinks, depend on salt and sugar water, coconut water, sugarcane juice etc for hydration
Don’t keep food uncovered and in the open as bacteria breed well in the indoor temperatures during the season spoiling the food faster
Don’t exert yourself much physically. If you feel exhausted, stop all activities and go indoors
Include in your diet seasonal fruits like watermelon and musk melon that have high water content
Use sunscreens with SPF above 15, apply it 30 minutes before stepping out
Don’t leave infants, children or pets in parked cars
Avoid very spicy, heavy meals before heading outdoors