What Is Heat-Related Illness In The Elderly?

Sweating is a natural process for our bodies to cool down after heating up. But when the temperature is too much for our bodies to handle, it can react adversely against the heat. Prolonged exposure to extreme heat can cause heat-related health issues like dehydration, heat strokes, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion. It is more common in senior citizens as the body cannot adjust to a sudden change in temperature so easily. An efficient way for senior citizens is to go for a rehabilitation Somerset county that will assist them in avoiding heat-related health issues.

The primary cause of these problems is due to unstable blood flow; the blood rushes to areas affected by extreme heat, decreasing the supply of blood to parts like the brain, muscles, and other important organs. Heat illnesses can lead to fatigue, a decline in mental as well as physical strength, rashes, burns, or even death due to stroke. 

What Are The Causes Of Heat-Related Issues?
Heat-related illness can typically strike any person whose body is unable to cope with high temperatures. People who have weaker immune systems are more prone to falling prey to extreme heat conditions as the body fails to supply enough blood to all the organs, efficiently. Elderly people, pregnant mothers, children, alcoholics, and people who are on drugs are an easy target of heat-related health issues. 

There Are Two Broad Reasons Why People Develop These Problems:

1. Illness caused by exercise
2. Classic heat stroke

The illness that is caused by exercise is generally termed as heat exhaustion, heat cramps, dehydration, heat rashes. These occur when there is an inadequate amount of blood flow to the brain and other vital organs due to excess blood flow to exposed body parts. Let’s discuss them in detail:

• Heat Cramps: These are the mildest form of heat-related illness that happens due to intense workout, exercise, or physical activity while the body’s water and salt are lost due to sweating. The person might face very painful muscle cramps during or after the exercise.
• Heat Exhaustion: It is more serious than heat cramps. Due to extreme physical activity, the body heats up a lot and, in a procedure to cool itself down, starts releasing water and salt (basically, sweat), reducing the quantity of both. If left untreated, it can cause heatstroke. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fainting, excess or no sweating, headache, shakiness, or pale skin.
• Heat Rashes: The most common response our bodies give to extreme heat is skin irritation when the sweat fails to evaporate from the skin.
• Dehydration: There is a reason why medical professionals keep asking us to consume excess water during the summer months. Insufficient quantity of water in our body may result in severe conditions like dehydration.

Non-exercise related heat-illness include heat strokes in which the body’s temperature rises above 40°C 

• Heatstroke: It occurs when the body is unable to cope with the excessive heat present inside as a result of which the internal organs begin to shut down. The dangers associated with heatstroke can be lethal as the central nervous system might stop responding. Immediate medical attention is required to bring the body’s temperature down.

Visit the website https://www.bshcare.com to learn more about assisted health care for the elderly.

Bridgeway Care and Rehabilitation
395 Amwell Rd
Hillsborough, NJ 08844

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