The rise in temperature is also very dangerous to health. As soon as the mercury passes 40 degrees Celsius, apart from the heart and brain, the cells of the intestine, kidney, lungs, liver and pancreas begin to be destroyed. Because of this, the risk to the patient’s life increases. Diabetics are at higher risk.
The National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) has submitted this report to the Union Ministry of Health. According to the report, if the temperature remains between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius continuously, the number of deaths due to heart disease may increase by 2.6 percent. The normal temperature of the human body ranges between 36.4 degrees Celsius and 37.2 degrees, but when the external temperature is higher than this, health problems begin to appear. However, its effect is less in children than in adults.
As part of the National Program for Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH), 27 types of damage caused to humans due to extreme heat waves have been identified. A senior official in the union’s health ministry said that so far we are aware of problems such as dizziness, fainting or a burning sensation in the eyes due to heat. This report was issued with the aim of gathering fact-based information on which part of the body can be affected first by which temperature, which will soon be shared with the countries.
Blood clots form in the veins
According to the report, at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius and above, blood clotting begins in the veins of a sick person. This process of the formation of small blood clots in small veins begins to affect first the brain and then the intestines, in addition to the kidneys, liver and lungs. Another serious consequence of extreme heat is rhabdomyolysis, in which the muscle tissue breaks down and begins to release harmful proteins into the bloodstream.
The first effect of heat is on the brain, then the heart is affected.
First of all, heat affects the human brain. Therefore, among the 27 methods, the first place is given to the brain causing stroke or heat stress when it is directly exposed to heat. After that, the heart is affected a second time, then the intestine, kidney, liver and pancreas. When the body temperature exceeds the thermal tolerance of the cell, such a condition is considered as heat cytotoxicity, due to which all six organs except the pancreas begin to be damaged. In such a situation, the risk of the patient’s death increases. Similarly, when the blood pressure rises due to the rise in temperature, it affects the pancreas which increases the sugar level.
Risk of hospitalization in diabetes and blood pressure patients
In a study published in the journal Environment Health Perspective, Spanish researchers admitted that when the temperature is the highest, the risk of diabetes and blood pressure patients being admitted to hospitals is doubled. This is because when the outside temperature is higher than the body temperature, sweating occurs. It directly increases blood pressure and heart rate. On hot days, men have a higher risk of hospitalization due to injuries, while women have a higher risk of hospitalization due to infectious, hormonal, metabolic, respiratory or urinary diseases.
Other conditions that increase a person’s risk of hospitalization due to extreme fever are kidney failure, kidney stones and urinary tract infections. Due to the heat, the chemicals released into the blood to fight the infection may also cause swelling throughout the body.
Watch out for these signs…
Disorientation or confusion, nervousness, seizures or coma, red or dry skin, severe headache, dizziness or fainting, muscle cramps, vomiting, and a fast heart rate are signs that may require immediate treatment. The report also mentions such symptoms in children up to the age of 10, which include refusal of food, inability to urinate, swelling or redness of the eyes, fatigue, seizures.
