 It is
just the beginning of summer and people in most parts of the country are reeling under oppressive heat. The
scorching phase is still ahead. With rising mercury, there has also been an increase in
the number of sunstroke and exposure victims. And, mind you, it is not only the poor or
the pavement dwellers who are exposed to this danger. In 1998, the heat wave in the
country broke the record for the past 50 years. Two weeks of blistering heat wave that
year saw over 2,300 deaths. According to a report, last year during summer, the All India
Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, received about 100 patients of various heat-related
diseases daily.
Anyone can fall victim to heat exposure. But
the high-risk category includes children, the aged, the sick and travellers. Especially
more vulnerable are those with diabetes and heart problem. The aged and the sick are more
prone to heat exposure owing to their general health and body composition. Children are
even more susceptible as they play outdoors in the sun for long and have a large surface
area for their body weight. Travellers are exposed to hot air in fast-moving vehicles,
unless the vehicles are air-conditioned. People working outdoors and in hot spots such as
kitchens, bakeries and factories too are at a greater risk.
 The human body has its own mechanism to beat the heat: sweating.
Evaporation of sweat keeps the body cool, but at times it is unable to face the onslaught
of rising temperatures. Evaporation of sweat no doubt keeps the body cool but the body
fluids so lost need to be replenished constantly. If the loss is not compensated, the
body's cooling mechanism fails. Heat stroke, heat exhaustion and heat cramps are the three
major complications that can arise due to the failure of the human body's heat control
mechanism. Heat stroke is perhaps the most serious and severe of these complications. In
this case the body's temperature regulatory system fails and sweating becomes inadequate.
The body temperature rises rapidly, at times usually above 105 degrees. The skin becomes
dry and dizziness results. It can ultimately lead to coma and even death. Generally the
skin temperature (temperature taken in the armpit) of a normal person is about a degree
lower than the core temperature (temperature taken in the mouth) but in case of a person
who  has suffered sunstroke, the two temperatures are equal.
No medicine works at this stage. What the
victim requires is to bring down the body temperature. He or she should be brought indoors
to a cool place and cooled rapidly by applying cold packs and switching on fans, coolers
or air-conditioners. Rather his clothing should be thoroughly soaked in water. He should
be rushed to the nearest hospital. To prevent sunstroke, one should drink plenty of water
and other liquids, preferably a sugar-salt solution. Oral Rehydration Solution,
recommended by the World Health Organisation, is also a good remedy. Children should be
made to carry water bottles. Emphasis should be laid on plenty of liquid foods for them.
Infants should be breast-fed and given boiled and cooled water at regular intervals.
Heat exhaustion is caused by loss of large
amounts of body fluids by sweating, sometimes with excessive loss of body salts. Symptoms
include excessive sweating and low blood pressure. Skin becomes moist and pale in
complexion.  The body
temperature is either normal or slightly higher. In some cases the person may experience
weakness and lose consciousness. The person should be brought to a cool spot and given
plenty of liquids to drink. People generally recover with this treatment. Heat cramps are
painful spasms of muscles that occur among those who sweat profusely, drink large
quantities of water but do not adequately replace the lost body salts. Low salt levels in
the muscles cause painful cramps. Taking salted fluids orally relieves cramps. The parts
affected by heat cramps should be rested.
Therefore, it is advisable to make a special
effort to adhere rigorously to the preventive measures during the ensuing hot spell and to
avoid unnecessary or unusual stressful activity. Sufficient sleep and good nutrition are
important for developing a high level of heat tolerance. The key to heat management is to
educate and make people aware of the hazards of rising temperatures.
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