These
are dangerous conditions for all of us, especially the very young and
the elderly. WTVG talked to an emergency room doctor
who says there are two main concerns: heat exhaustion and heat stroke
and everyone's at risk.
CHECK WEATHER CONDITIONS IN YOUR AREA
Scorching summer days like this can be
dangerous and often land people in the emergency room with signs of
these heat illnesses. The National Institutes of Health says symptoms of
heat exhaustion include sweating, fatigue, muscle cramps, headache,
dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
"We recommend taking them out of the heat,
obviously put them in an air conditioned room or the shade," says
ProMedica Toledo Hospital Emergency Physician Dr. Spencer Johnson. "Take
off whatever clothes they have on. If they're outside running around
take their shirt off. Try to pour some water on them. Get them cooled
off as quickly as possible and get them to medical attention quickly."
Dr. Johnson says elderly people should stay
in air conditioning on a day like this, and so should children. If kids
are outside he says they need lots of fluids and sunscreen.
How do you know if you're low on fluids?
"One of the ways you can gauge that is by
looking at your urine believe it or not. If your urine is dark that
typically means you're not drinking enough fluid, and you should be
drinking more fluid to make your urine nice and clear," says Dr.
Johnson.
Heat stroke is even more serious than heat
exhaustion. Dr. Johnson says the person needs to get to the emergency
room right away. The National Institutes of Health says symptoms of heat
stroke include fever, extreme confusion, lack of sweating, or dry, hot
red skin, rapid, shallow breathing and even unconsciousness.
If you're exercising in this heat, Dr. Johnson says you should be drinking fluids before and during your workout.
"Lots of water, not pop, not coffee, not
caffeine products," he says. "Water, even some of the Gatorades are
okay, but you need to drink lots of it so that you're hydrated enough to
do your activity."
Remember, even your car can be a dangerous
place on a day like today. Dr. Johnson says this year alone there have
been seven unintentional deaths of children who've climbed into cars or
were left in cars that overheated.