Heat presents the body with a special challenge. A doctor explains why heat waves can still have health effects days after they occur.
Heat waves are becoming more and more frequent due to climate change – also in Germany. However, the health risks should not be underestimated: “You can simply die from heat-related illnesses,” explains Andrea Nakoinz from the German Alliance for Climate Change and Health (KLUG) to Watson.
She emphasizes that the effects of heat waves on the body can still be felt physically days after they occur: “The body can usually compensate for this for a while, so that it is often only a day or two after the heat wave that you notice that the heat wave has changed something is wrong. We can also see that in the excess mortality, which lasted for two or three days after the heat wave,” summarizes Nakoinz.
Heat can also be dangerous for young people
But not only old or previously ill people can get health problems from heat. Young people can also die of a heart attack or cardiac arrest if they don’t behave appropriately in hot temperatures – such as going jogging in the midday sun.
“There have been cases like this in hospitals over the past few years,” Nakoinz said in an interview with Watson. If you sweat profusely and are already exhausted from minor physical exertion, it is better to continue slowly and not to overload yourself, advises the doctor.
How the body deals with heat also depends significantly on the place where you are: In the forest or park it is correspondingly more pleasant on hot days than on concrete city streets.
What helps when dealing with heat waves?
In order to curb health risks resulting from heat, the German Weather Service (DWD) publishes heat warnings on particularly hot days. There are two warning levels: “Heat stress” is when the temperature is felt to be 32 degrees in the early afternoon, and “extreme heat stress” when the temperature is felt to be 38 degrees.
However, the outside temperature is not the sole factor in how the body reacts to heat. Humidity also plays an important role, Nakoinz told Watson. “If you get a headache or you get dizzy in the heat, you should get out of the heat, cool down, drink lots of water and take it easy,” the doctor points out.
It becomes dangerous when the body temperature exceeds 42 degrees. In the worst case, there is a risk of unconsciousness and seizures. Caution is also required with heat stroke, the most severe form of heat-related illnesses – despite overheating, there is no increased sweating, but those affected can appear confused, explains the expert.
Peter Bobbert, President of the Berlin Medical Association, recommends that if symptoms are difficult to classify, it is best to consult a doctor directly. “On hot days you should watch yourself even more if you have symptoms and ask yourself: Have I drunk enough? Can the symptoms come from the heat?” the health expert advises Watson.
Sources used: Watson, Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD)
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