Understand the effects of high temperatures on the human body

The scientific director of the Society of Cardiology of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Socerj), Claudio Tinoco, made a warning about care with excessive heat.

“When the temperature rises too much, there is a risk of us entering a state of dehydration, where the body loses a significant amount of fluid. This makes the heart have to work harder, blood pressure can drop, it increases the risk of fainting, which is loss of consciousness. awareness, and people who have heart problems can even have serious complications, such as stroke and even heart attack. myocardium”.

The alert made serves as a point of attention in one of the most rigid summers in recent years, mainly in the southeast of the country. In Rio de Janeiro, until the 23rd of this month, the temperature in four days exceeded 40 degrees.

To live with this routine, it is necessary to take certain precautions. Avoid physical exercise at peak heat times because, according to the specialist, it can have “devastating” effects on the body, brain, kidneys, heart. It's called thermal stress, in which dehydration even compromises the person's ability to regulate body temperature.

“She loses a lot of fluid and cannot lower her internal body temperature and this causes damage to the organism and can even contribute to death”.

Claudio Tinoco recommends that people wear light and light clothes; drink plenty of water; Pay attention to your body's signals. “If it has a brownish, darker color, it means that the urine is very concentrated and the person is very dehydrated,” he explains.

For people who work on the streets, such as street vendors and guards, for example, the recommendation is to drink at least two liters of water a day.

Tinoco admits that the umbrella helps to reduce the incidence of direct sunlight, but recalls the importance, at this time of year, of using sunscreen.

children and elderly

The Director of Publications of the Brazilian Society of Angiology and Vascular Surgery (SBACV), Julio Peclat, observes that two groups are more susceptible to problems at this time of year: children and the elderly, due to the loss of body fluid, which can often represent a significant volume in terms of blood volume, that is, the total amount of blood in the body of both children and the elderly.

Peclat points out that there is also an increase in the incidence of swelling in the legs. “The issue of vasodilation caused by this heat leads patients, especially those with larger caliber varicose veins, to the rupture of these varicose veins. This bleeding is very common at this time of year”.

Julio Peclat drew attention to another effect linked to intense heat, which is erysipelas. “These swellings are caused by a delay in the absorption of liquids in the lower limbs and this can lead to an opportunistic infection, often a mycosis between the legs. fingers or a crack in dehydrated skin, and bacteria can get in there and cause what is called erysipelas and must be treated immediately so as not to complicate".

Another guideline, even for people who work outside the home, is to try to lift your legs a little every two hours. “Placing the lower limbs upward helps the postural drainage of the limbs, also avoiding possible complications”.

And hydrating the skin and doing massages before bed soften. “This massage, in this movement, helps in the drainage of veins and lymphatic vessels, relieving the possible complications of heat”.

For men who wear a suit and tie, and also for women, the advice given by the SBACV director is elastic stockings. The doctor warns, however, that these stockings must be prescribed by an angiologist with adequate compression for the patient and purchased at hospital supply stores.

Gastroenterologist Tábata Antoniaci recalls that it is always good to consume foods that have a higher concentration of water. Among them, lettuce, beetroot, cabbage, tomato, celery, radish, carambola, cucumber, strawberry, watermelon and melon. With information from Agência Brasil.