Hyderabad: Doctors warn that rising temperatures and humidity might exacerbate heat-related ailments

With the city baking in the sun for more than two weeks, medical professionals have seen an increase in heat-related ailments and a spike in cases of heat exhaustion among those who spend extended amounts of time in the sunlight.

The most prevalent symptoms seen in individuals with heat exhaustion were low blood pressure, giddiness, excessive perspiration, heat cramps, dehydration, high temperature, and nausea.

Long-term exposure to the heat, particularly when traveling, is one of the main causes of heat-induced disorders, according to medical professionals. Doctors advised prudence for the eager travelers in light of the summer vacations and festival season.

“We are seeing around two to five patients of heat exhaustion every day, for more than a week now,” said Dr. Rahul Agrawal, HoD, internal medicine and infectious diseases expert at a prestigious private hospital, in an interview with TNIE. The majority of these patients are very tired, dehydrated, and feverish. Some patients get treatment via the outpatient department, while others are admitted to the hospital and supplied with intravenous fluids. The most of them will be released in a day or two. Although there haven’t been any reported incidents of severe sunstroke, many individuals have undoubtedly suffered from heat fatigue. But in the days to come, he said, a shift in the weather and more humidity were more concerning.

The chairman of KIMS’s medicine department, Dr. Shiva Raju K, said that since humidity affects sweat glands, it might lead to greater dehydration and heat exhaustion than hot, dry weather. In the next days, dehydration will undoubtedly be a significant cause due to the shift in temperature and the sultriness. The summers are going to grow very hot in the next weeks, therefore we need to be extremely cautious for another two months.

According to medical professionals, there is a significant danger of severe sunstrokes for persons with kidney, liver, or cardiac disorders, as well as for those using psychiatric medications or using drugs recreationally.

According to the physicians, preventing heat-related ailments requires carrying water bottles, making sure you’re drinking enough water, and avoiding the sun during the hottest parts of the day.