Never ignore these symptoms: Recognizing heat stroke in a timely manner can prevent extremely serious consequences.

Accompanied by really unpleasant sensations

According to Marija Radžvilienė, Head of Health Insurance Risks and Product Development at the insurance company ERGO, in summer, health problems can be caused not only by heatstroke. According to her, at the beginning of the warm season, residents turn to doctors for a variety of ailments.

“In June-July, we recorded three main health disorders. It is a disease of the urinary and genital organs, muscles and the skeletal digestive system. This shows that this period poses very different health challenges, but heatstroke is one one of the most serious and dangerous disorders. Such a disease is very easy to experience in hot weather, and its consequences can be really sad, “says M. Radžvilien a in a press release.

The opinion of the representative of the Insurer is also shared by Ieva Bingelytė, family doctor at the Vilnius Antakalnis Polyclinic. The doctor notes that heatstroke is caused by the body overheating at an extremely high ambient temperature, when the body lacks fluids. For this reason, when the heat begins, the elderly, people who spend time outdoors, as well as children with comorbidities, must take special care.

“Otherwise, there is a risk of heat stroke. So, you are likely to have a fever when your body temperature rises to 37-40 degrees or higher. It is often accompanied by thirst, increased breathing, and heart rate. The skin may also be hot and red, with vomiting, diarrhea, muscle spasms, and weakness. In addition, neurological symptoms sometimes occur: difficulty speaking, agitation, confusion, dizziness, headache, visual or auditory hallucinations, impaired coordination, seizures, loss of consciousness. A conscious and adequate person who has suffered a heat stroke may complain of weakness, drowsiness, nausea and dizziness ”, emphasizes I. Bingelytė.

You need to react immediately

After listing the symptoms of heat stroke, the doctor adds: the consequences of this condition are sometimes even more painful. According to I. Bingelytė, a severe form of such a disorder can cause complications of various organ systems, respiratory disorders: bronchospasm, pulmonary edema, its infarction, various diseases of the latter.

“Acute heart, kidney failure, seizures and parkinsonism are also possible. In addition to liver damage, Guillain-Barré syndrome is an acute disease of the nervous system characterized by rapidly progressive symmetrical limb weakness and weakening or disappearance of tendon reflexes. Such complications of heat stroke, of which there are even more, are really dangerous to health. However, this disorder often results in the death of patients. Mortality due to heat stroke and hospital admissions is extremely high: studies show that it ranges between 21 and 63 percent ”, the doctor shares.

According to her, the death of patients depends on the degree of increase in temperature, the time between heat stroke and the moment when human cooling begins, the number of damaged organ systems. However, to avoid the aforementioned consequences, I. Bingelytė advises to react to this ailment immediately. According to the doctor, if you feel the symptoms of heat stroke or suspect someone else, you should immediately cool the body, retreat to the shade, a ventilated room or an air-conditioned car.

“It is necessary to ensure a suitable temperature of about 22 degrees. Also take off your clothes, cool off in a cold shower or spray with that water, put compresses, cooler bags on your neck, armpits, groin, because there the blood vessels closest to the surface of the skin. It is advisable to cool the palms, soles, cheeks, raise the legs above the horizontal plane so that the most vital organs fill with blood. It is necessary to drink water or electrolyte solutions, it is recommended not to drink alcoholic and caffeinated beverages. If human consciousness is disturbed or absent, it is important to ensure a safe position to lie on the left side, make sure that the airways are open and immediately call the emergency number 112 ”, emphasizes I. Bingelytė.

The solution is to look at it in practice.

By helping yourself or another heatstroke in time, according to an ERGO report, health complications can be avoided and even life saved. However, M. Radžvilienė assures: the prevention of this ailment is especially important.

“When the air is heated to 30-33 degrees and the body loses more fluids as it moves more actively, it is necessary to drink water regularly. Your recommended daily intake of about 12 glasses. This is especially relevant for those who are more outdoors, resting in nature, near bodies of water. It should be emphasized that you should drink water before feeling thirsty, because even a feeling of weakness shows that the body has lost 1-2% of its fluids. Such a deficiency it can already mean dehydration ”, assures the representative of the insurer.

It also offers practical tips that not only prevent heat stroke, but also ensure better well-being and comfort during the heat.

“In summer, we usually open all the windows in the house. But doing so is wrong: through them, the outside heat enters the rooms. Therefore, it is better to ventilate the house only in the late afternoon and early in the afternoon. the morning when the outside air temperature has dropped. Another smart solution is to close the doors of unused rooms. This way, the hot and cold air currents from the house don’t mix. Another trick is to put the sheets on in the freezer a few minutes before going to bed, which will then cool down very well. Only the latter should be packed in bags, otherwise they can absorb the smell of food products “, recommends M. Radžvilienė.

Add: health insurance reduces the potential unpleasant consequences of heat stroke. “For those with medical insurance, we will pay the costs of medical consultations and prescribed exams when the insured requests the aforementioned ailments. Therefore, medical insurance allows you to spend the summer with peace of mind, security and tranquility”, sums up the representative of ERGO.