The Ministry of Health has launched, once again, the National Plan of Preventive Actions for Low Temperatures, with measures to coordinate the institutions involved and attend to the population, especially the most vulnerable groups in winter. The aim is to try to curb the 1,050 deaths caused by low temperatures per year (heat waves cause around 1,300). "This makes it necessary to formulate plans to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with cold waves", points out Julio Díaz, co-director of the Climate Change, Health and Urban Environment Unit of the National School of Health, Carles Institute of Health III (ISCIII).
The intense cold negatively affects health, despite the fact that only in very extreme cases do effects such as hypothermia or freezing occur, states the Strategic Health and Environment Plan, prepared by the Ministries of Health and Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge. What is more common is overstressing the body, which can lead to an organic decompensation that aggravates chronic diseases in the vulnerable population.
In any case, the effects of low temperatures are not usually as acute and sudden as in the case of high temperatures. Julio Díaz explains that "there is a minimum daily temperature, which varies from one place to another, below which winter mortality increases sharply; is what is called the definition temperature of a cold wave”.
The effect of a cold wave, he explains, manifests itself up to 14 days later, points out Díaz, who points out that this is because mortality related to cold waves is partly related to respiratory diseases of an infectious nature, although there is also an increase in mortality related to cardiovascular disease.
The main risk factors have to do with not living in places that ensure a comfortable minimum temperature, places without heating or places where people with a low level of income live, which means that even if they have heating they cannot turn it on, and this has a name: energy poverty.
Faced with these realities, what do the experts recommend to alleviate the effects of the cold? Here are some of their proposals:
Outside, it is convenient to breathe through the nose and not through the mouth, as the air warms up when it passes through the nostrils and thus reduces the cold that reaches the lungs.
Take extreme caution in case of ice on the streets. A high percentage of cold-related injuries have to do with falls due to slips on ice sheets. If possible, it is advisable to use non-slip shoes.
Residents of the Nordic countries know this well when it comes to dressing: several layers of thin clothing protect more than a single thick one, because they form chambers of insulating air.
If braziers or fireplaces are used at home, it is advisable to ventilate the room often to avoid the accumulation of CO2. It is necessary to ventilate the house at least twice a day, for 15 minutes, to ensure the renewal of the air.
Do not take medicines without a medical prescription, because some medicines precipitate the problems arising from exposure to the cold.
Follow a varied diet and consume fruit every day. Drink fluids, especially water and hot drinks.
Always stay well informed about the weather forecast before leaving home.
Although anyone can suffer from a problem related to low temperatures, try to pay more attention to people who may be in a situation of vulnerability to the cold. If necessary, contact a healthcare professional.
And, of course, that those over 65 and people suffering from any chronic disease (cardiopulmonary, metabolic and immunocompromised) get vaccinated against the flu.
