July was the hottest month the Earth has ever seen, and the hottest month before that was June. Warmer temperatures seem to becoming the norm, and there are many health consequences surrounding increased temperatures for the body and one’s overall health. Extreme heat is killing more Americans than any other type of climate disaster and disproportionately affects people of low-income and color. Here is how heat can affect your health.
Heat Illnesses Like Heat Exhaustion And Heat Stroke
Human beings typically adapt to heat well through mechanisms such as sweat to dissipate heat into the environment. However, when the temperature in the environment is hotter than the body (average body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) or if sweat does not evaporate, our core temperatures start to rise and this can lead to heat illnesses such as heat exhaustion or ultimately heat stroke.
Heat exhaustion can result in headache, nausea, fatigue, muscle cramps, and dizziness. Body temperatures are usually normal but definitely under 104 degrees Fahrenheit. This is in contrast to heat stroke, which is potentially fatal with body temperatures exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Patients with heat stroke typically have confusion, delirium, loss of consciousness, and mental status changes that also differentiate it from heat exhaustion.
Heat illnesses can disproportionately affect certain patients, such as those 65 years of age or older, immunocompromised patients, children, low-income patients, Black patients, and those naturally exposed to more heat like construction workers or prisoners in jails.
These illnesses are entirely preventable and it behooves us to understand how given there have been a 70% increase in heat-related deaths between 2008 and 2018. Regular hydration with water, staying in cooler areas with air-conditioning, and avoiding the heat by staying indoors are all critical steps necessary to prevent heat illnesses.
Heat Strains Critical Body Parts
As our body temperature rises, our heart rate rises, resulting in our heart having to pump harder to allow blood to flow to critical body parts like the skin. In addition, patients often breathe harder when enduring rising body temperatures. This can be especially troubling for patients with underlying medical conditions like Asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) where breathing normally can already be an issue at baseline.
Adverse Birth Outcomes
According to research from the British Medical Journal, higher temperature was associated with both preterm birth and lower birth weight. These results were amplified most in patients of lower socioeconomic groups. The long-term consequences of preterm birth and low birth weight can be devastating, as both result in an increased risk of infants developing conditions such as cerebral palsy, obesity and diabetes to name a few.
Mental Health Issues
According to research in Science of the Total Environment, emergency room visits for mental health disorders increase significantly with extreme temperatures, and the results did not vary significantly among any subgroup of the study population. Reasons for emergency room visits included mood and anxiety disorders, substance abuse and dementia to name several. Although not completely well understood, it is becoming clear that extreme temperatures and particularly heat can have a profound impact on one’s mental health and well-being.
Moving Forward
On an individual level, patients must understand the risks of heat illnesses and what risks it poses to the body. Staying hydrated and indoors can help significantly mitigate the health hazards related to extreme heat, which has become a reality in America and worldwide. From a policy standpoint, we must do better in educating the public on this issue, invest funds in combatting greenhouse gases, establish local programs such as heat offices and officers to identify communities at greatest risk and provide equitable access to clean water and cool indoor areas for those at greatest risk. If we fail to act, the heat crisis will soon become a heat emergency.
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