Increase water intake, avoid heatstroke

LUCKNOW: With mercury rising over 44 degree Celsius, it is time to take extra care. The sun rays adversely affect the skin and the hair. The warm air hits the gastroentrological system leaving the affected person with ailments like heatstroke, gastroentritis and so on.
Senior consultant physician at Balrampur Hospital, Dr DP Mishra, threw light on heatstroke which is a form of abnormally elevated body temperature accompanied by physical and neurological symptoms."It is a medical emergency and may be fatal if not treated properly or promptly," he said.
Explaining further, he said that the body generates heat as a result of metabolism which gets dissipated by sweating. In extreme heat, high humidity, or vigorous exertion under the sun, the body is unable to dissipate the heat and the body temperature rises to dangerous levels.
He added that another cause of heatstroke is dehydration. A dehydrated person may not be able to sweat fast enough to dissipate heat, which causes the body temperature to rise to dangerous levels.
Infants, children, elderly suffering with heart, lung, kidney diseases and those on certain medications are vulnerable to heat stroke. Athletes and outdoor workers physically exerting themselves under the sun are also at risk.
Dr Mishra said that there are less severe forms of heatstroke like cramps and exhaustion. Care should be taken while dealing them because they share symptoms common to acute heatstroke.
The symptoms includes nausea, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, headache, muscle cramps, aches and dizziness. However, some individuals can develop symptoms of heatstroke suddenly and rapidly without warning.
"Avoiding the sun is the best way to stay away from heat stroke. But if it is necessary, then people should drink water before going out. Sudden change of temperatures as in case of coming out of an air conditioned room to move in the sun should be avoided," he suggested.
Next in the list of diseases is gastroenteritis, said officiating chief medical officer, Lucknow, Dr Jai Singh. "This involves loose motions, vomiting and pain in stomach, leading to sudden drop in body's water-level. It can be dangerous to the extent of life-threat in elderly and children," he said.
Primarily caused by over eating or consuming stale food, this can be easily avoided by consuming less spicy and light food, semi-solid diet like dalia and increasing the intake of water during summers.
The other diseases are dysentery or bloody diarrhoea, typhoid, jaundice and infective hepatitis which is caused by eating unhygienic food like open eatables and cut fruits.
The precautions recommended by the doctor are: intake of fruit juices and liquids like 'mattha' and 'panna' prepared under hygienic conditions (possibly prepared at home), avoiding cut fruits and open food.
Among the skin diseases, dermatitis is the commonest. Characterised by extreme itching, this hypersensitive skin disorder targets sensitive skin of children and women. It starts as a simple red rash and then spreads all over the body in the form of dry or oozing scaly eruptions.
"A dust-free environment is recommended for patient suffering with dermatitis. They should avoid spicy and oily food as it aggravates the condition. Even excessive use of soaps should be avoided and light skin-friendly fabric should be used," he said.