Code extreme heat sunstroke can occur - overheating of the head and brain due to excessive exposure of the head and neck to the sun. This can lead to classic symptoms such as headache and nausea, he says Deutsche Welle (DW)).
Heatstroke - affects the whole body. The cause does not necessarily have to be too much sun. Excessive use of the sauna or physical exertion in high heat and in a stuffy environment can also lead to heat stroke.
A car like an oven
When the temperature outside is 32 degrees Celsius, inside the car after half an hour the temperature rises to 48 degrees, and after an hour to 58 degrees. It is life-threatening because the human body must be able to maintain a temperature of 37 degrees. In people affected by heat stroke, the body temperature rises to 40 degrees. It is not only unpleasant but can also lead to death.
Babies and small children are especially at risk, since their body does not have as many sweat glands as the body of adults, who have between 150 and 350 per square centimeter of skin. And those glands, among other things, have the task of cooling our body. The number of glands depends on the part of the body, and the highest concentration is on the palms and feet - between 360 and 370.
Exposure to extreme temperatures is also dangerous for the elderly. Often these people have pressure problems or heart problems. In extreme heat, the heart has to work much harder than at normal temperatures. After heart surgery or if the blood vessels are damaged, the elderly are at risk of heatstroke.
But even completely healthy people who rarely have health problems in high heat are not safe. Let's say, if they train hard during extreme heat and exceed the limit. This also applies to people who perform heavy physical work on hot days in the sun - such as road workers.
Sweating is vital.
When the outside temperature is high, blood flow to the skin increases and the body tries to cool down through the skin and blood flow. We start to sweat. Peas of sweat on the skin evaporate and thus cool the body to some extent. But when extreme heat comes, the cooling system can fail.
We lose between half a liter and several liters of fluid every day, 99 percent of that fluid is water.
A type of sweat gland, professionally called an eccrine gland, is responsible for regulating a person's body temperature. Most of them are under the armpits, palms, but also on the forehead. Their diameter is up to 0,4 millimeters.
Our body has between two and four million of these tiny glands. Sweat is produced in the part of the gland that looks like balls of wool. One channel leads the sweat to the surface of the skin. There, the liquid is distributed in the form of tiny drops of sweat. As long as it works, our body copes with the heat.
But if he is no longer able to use his own cooling system, it becomes dangerous - sunstroke threatens.
Sunburn - it's important to keep a cool head
When a person gets sunstroke, his body is overheated, and most often the head was exposed to the sun for too long. Headache is usually the first symptom of sunstroke. Other symptoms are back pain, exhaustion, and sometimes nausea and vomiting.
These symptoms are caused by overheating of the meninges. Thus, the so-called aseptic meningitis, an inflammation of the meninges that is not caused by bacteria, can occur. Affected persons usually experience dizziness, disorientation in some cases and loss of consciousness. Then medical help is necessary.
People who get sunstroke must be immediately taken to a cool environment, and must lie on their back. The head and upper body must be elevated. Wet cold wipes can help cool certain parts of the body, such as the neck. Sick people should drink plenty of fluids.
Heatstroke is a disaster for the body
More dangerous than sunstroke is heat stroke, which causes the internal temperature to rise to 40 degrees. Then it is possible to have vision disturbances and difficult breathing. Such a condition can quickly become life-threatening. The body no longer has a single way to reduce body temperature. The pulse is accelerated, breathing is interrupted, blood pressure drops.
This can lead to inflammation and serious damage to some organs. If the patient is not helped in time, complete organ failure may occur.
During extreme heat, our natural body cooling quickly reaches its limit. And older people often don't drink enough fluids. The body then cannot produce enough sweat, so it cannot cool down.
In many cases it is best to call a doctor. And how to avoid sunstroke or heat stroke? The answer is simple - to expose yourself to the sun as little as possible in extreme heat and to take as much fluid into the body as possible.
