Extreme oestrus can affect anybody. Those most at adventure are older people, young children and people with a medical condition.
Heat stress occurs when our torso is unable to cool itself enough to maintain a good for you temperature. Normally, the torso cools itself by sweating, simply sometimes sweating isn't enough and the torso temperature keeps ascent.
Heat-related affliction tin range from mild conditions such as a rash or cramps to very serious conditions such as heatstroke, which tin can kill.
Overexertion in hot weather condition, sunday or bushfire exposure, and exercising or working in hot, poorly ventilated or bars areas can increase your risk of heat stress. Rut can also make an existing medical condition worse, for example heart disease.
Anyone can suffer from heat-related affliction, but those most at hazard are:
- People over 65 years, particularly those living lonely or without air conditioning
- Babies and young children
- Pregnant and nursing mothers
- People who are physically unwell, especially with eye affliction, high blood force per unit area or lung disease
- People on medications for mental affliction.
Elderly people are more than prone to heat stress than younger people because their body may not conform well to sudden or prolonged temperature change. They are too more likely to have a chronic medical condition and be taking medication that may interfere with the trunk's ability to regulate temperature.
There are many factors which tin cause heat stress and heat-related illness, including:
- Dehydration – to proceed healthy, our body temperature needs to stay around 37°C. The body cools itself by sweating, which unremarkably accounts for 70 to 80 per cent of the body's heat loss. If a person becomes dehydrated, they don't sweat as much and their body temperature keeps rising.
- Lack of airflow – working in hot, poorly ventilated or confined areas.
- Sun exposure – specially on hot days, between 11am and 3pm.
- Hot and crowded conditions – people attending big events (concerts, dance parties or sporting events) in hot or crowded conditions may also experience heat stress that can event in disease.
- Bushfires – exposure to radiant heat from bushfires tin cause rapid dehydration and heat-related disease. Bushfires usually occur when the temperature is high, which adds to the risk.
It is important to know the signs and symptoms of heat exposure and how you should respond. Symptoms vary co-ordinate to the blazon of estrus-related illness. Babies and young children may bear witness signs of restlessness or irritability and have fewer wet nappies. Older people may go silly, confused, weak or faint.
Some heat-related affliction and common symptoms include:
- Deterioration in existing medical conditions – this is the nigh mutual health problem of heat stress.
- Heat rash – sometimes called 'prickly rut', this is a pare irritation acquired by excessive sweating. It can occur at any age, but is well-nigh common in young children. It looks like a cerise cluster of pimples or modest blisters. Information technology is virtually likely to occur on the neck and upper chest, in the groin, under the breasts and in the elbow creases.
- Rut cramps – these include muscle pains or spasms, unremarkably in the abdomen, arms or legs. They may occur after strenuous activity in a hot environment, when the body gets depleted of salt and water. They may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion.
- Dizziness and fainting – heat-related dizziness and fainting results from reduced blood menstruation to the brain. Heat causes an increase in blood flow to the skin and pooling of blood in the legs, which tin pb to a sudden drop in claret pressure. There can be a feeling of light-headedness before fainting occurs.
- Heat exhaustion – this is a serious condition that can develop into heatstroke. It occurs when excessive sweating in a hot environment reduces the claret volume. Alert signs may include paleness and sweating, rapid heart rate, musculus cramps (usually in the abdomen, arms or legs), headache, nausea and vomiting, dizziness or fainting.
- Heatstroke – this is a medical emergency and requires urgent attending. Heatstroke occurs when the cadre body temperature rises above 40.5 °C and the trunk's internal systems start to close down. Many organs in the body suffer damage and the body temperature must be reduced chop-chop. Virtually people volition have profound central nervous system changes such as delirium, coma and seizures. The person may stagger, appear dislocated, have a fit or collapse and become unconscious. Besides equally effects on the nervous system, there can be liver, kidney, muscle and center harm.
The symptoms of heatstroke may exist the same as for heat exhaustion, but the pare may be dry with no sweating and the person's mental status worsens.
Treatment options vary according to the blazon of estrus-related illness. Utilize first aid and seek medical assistance immediately if you, or someone you are with, shows any sign of heat burnout or heatstroke.
Rut rash – treatment
Handling for estrus rash includes:
- Move the person to a cooler, less humid environment.
- Keep the affected area dry.
- Endeavor using unperfumed talcum pulverisation to increment comfort.
- Avoid using ointments or creams, as they keep the skin warm and moist, and may make the condition worse.
Rut cramps – treatment
Treatment for heat cramps includes:
- Stop activity and sit down quietly in a cool place.
- Increment fluid intake.
- Rest a few hours earlier returning to activity.
- Seek medical aid if there is no improvement.
Dizziness and fainting – handling
Treatment for dizziness or fainting includes:
- Become the person to a absurd area and lay them down.
- If fully conscious, increment fluid intake.
Heat exhaustion – treatment
Treatment for heat exhaustion includes:
- Get the person to a cool area and lay them downward.
- Remove outer clothing.
- Wet peel with absurd water or wet cloths.
- Increase fluid intake if they are fully conscious.
- Seek medical advice.
Heatstroke – treatment
Heatstroke is a medical emergency and requires urgent attention:
- Call triple zero (000) for an ambulance.
- Get the person to a cool, shady area and lay them down while you're waiting for emergency medical help.
- Remove wear and moisture their skin with water, fanning continuously.
- Do non give the person fluids to drink.
- Position an unconscious person on their side and clear their airway.
- If medical attention is delayed, seek further instructions from ambulance or hospital emergency staff.
Prevention is the best fashion to manage heat-related illness. Some tips to prevent heat stress include:
- Drink plenty of water – you lot need to potable more during hot weather, regardless of how agile you are, even if you don't feel thirsty (check with your doctor if yous are on limited fluids or fluid pills). Avert alcohol or drinks that contain lots of sugar. Don't have extremely common cold liquids, as they may cause stomach cramps.
- Avoid exposure to heat – stay out of the sunday as much equally you can,
- Protect yourself outside – if you must be outdoors, remember toprotect yourself from the sunday – 'slip, slop, slap' by covering exposed pare with lightweight clothes, using sunscreen and wearing a hat, 'seek' shade and 'slide' on sunglasses.
- Programme ahead – too much activity on a hot twenty-four hour period can pb to rut stress. If you tin, restrict activity to cooler parts of the day. Avoid concrete activities similar sport, renovating and gardening.
- Don't go out kids, older people or pets in cars – fifty-fifty on cool days, cars tin can heat upwards to dangerous temperatures very chop-chop. People or pets that are left unattended in parked cars for even a few minutes are at risk of serious rut-related illnesses and possibly expiry. Never exit kids, older people or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are left open a fraction.
- Take it piece of cake – rest often and, whenever possible, stay indoors or in the shade.
- Stay absurd – and keep air circulating around you. Draw your blinds or defunction and use a fan or air conditioning if possible (if yous don't take air conditioning, consider visiting an air-conditioned shopping centre or public library). Go on yourself cool by using wet towels, putting your feet in cool water and taking cool (not common cold) showers.
- Go on upward your energy levels – eat smaller meals more often and cold meals such as salads.
- Check in on others – keep in touch on with older, sick or frail family, friends and neighbours who may need assist coping with the heat, especially those who live alone. Call them at least once on any extreme rut day.
Where to get assistance
- In an emergency, call triple zero (000)
- Your doc – if you, or someone you know, may be suffering from a oestrus-related affliction
- NURSE-ON-CALL Tel. 1300 60 lx 24 – for good health data and advice (24 hours, 7 days)
- Department of Health – survive the oestrus information in customs languages.
- Maternal and Child Health Line, Victoria Tel. 132 229 (24 hours)
- St John Ambulance Australia – for information and resources on first help
Things to recall
- Heat kills more Australians than any natural disaster.
- Heatstroke is fatal in upwardly to 80% of cases.
- During the 2009 Victorian heatwave the number of deaths increased by 374 people.
- Heat-related illness tin exist prevented.
- Keep cool, avoid vigorous physical activity in hot atmospheric condition, and drink enough of water and other non-alcoholic fluids.
- Never leave children or pets unattended in a parked car.
- Seek medical assistance if a person shows any signs of heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
