The emergency services attend to numerous people due to the effects of high temperatures. Most recover in a short time, but some develop the so-called heat stroke. “It is a very extreme pathology. The body's thermoregulation no longer exists, the person is at 40 degrees, practically in a coma," explains Elisenda Gómez-Angelats, an internist in the Emergency Department of the Hospital Clínic.
In this center in Barcelona, twelve patients were treated last summer for heat stroke as the first diagnosis. The number of cases has increased in recent years, according to the doctor, "not only because the population is older and has more previous pathologies, but also because we are experiencing climate change that some deny, but it is a reality."
The intensivists at the Clínic are alert because, as usually happens, 24-48 hours after the start of a heat wave, patients begin to arrive. The majority, over 70 years of age with some chronic disease that have suffered from decompensation due to temperature.
According to Gómez-Angelats, last year 120 heat strokes were treated in Catalonia, and thousands of deaths in Spain are attributed to exorbitant temperatures. These are preventable cases, as demonstrated by the fact that a good number of those affected recover simply with the air conditioning of the emergency services.
Heat stroke previously goes through various phases that begin with heat exhaustion, explains the doctor. Special emphasis must be placed on older people who present symptoms that make them suspect.
“If the outside is at 38 degrees and we are at 37, the body tries to vasodilate and pulls the central nervous system, that is, the brain. Confusion occurs, falls, tremors, headache, irritability, sometimes seizures; at the respiratory level, feeling of lack of air; at a cardiovascular level, hypertension, tachycardia, fainting; at the digestive level, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; and the cramps of a lifetime”.
As soon as symptoms are detected, they have to stop the body temperature, indicates Gómez-Angelats. "You have to drink a lot of water, create air currents through air conditioning or fans, cover your body with wet towels."
Avoid hours of maximum sun exposure (12:00 to 16:00). Outdoor exercise only early in the day or late in the evening, and with regular hydration. Swimming in the sea or pool at any time is not contraindicated. People who work on the street should avoid long exposures.
"Be very careful, because any dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or headache can be indicators that we are suffering from heat stress," warns the doctor.
To avoid heat stroke, it is also important to wear appropriate clothing to protect exposed skin (light-colored, loose clothing) and cover your head with a hat, wear sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection, as well as How to apply sunscreen regularly.
