The German Brain Foundation warned against exposure to the sun during days when temperatures rise, or drinking small amounts of fluids, as well as exerting a lot of effort at such times, in order to avoid what is known as sunstroke, which may lead to death in the worst cases.
German doctors explained that heat stress differs from sunstroke in that the latter results from direct exposure of the head area to sunlight, which results in an increase in brain temperature.
In this case, the head appears with red skin and a high temperature, despite the coldness of the rest of the body, and some accompanying symptoms appear such as headache, vomiting, dizziness, neck pain, fatigue and lack of concentration, and the matter may develop into inflammatory reactions and dilation of the blood vessels, and the matter may reach what is known as cerebral edema.
In the case of heat stress, the body temperature exceeds 40 degrees, and this includes the entire body, especially for the elderly and children, which poses a particular danger to them. Common symptoms include convulsions and disturbance of consciousness, which is an emergency that requires immediate medical intervention.
In case of suspected sunstroke or heat stress, the injured person should be immediately moved to the nearest shaded area. Doctors recommend calling for emergency medical services immediately. Until medical services arrive, the injured person should be placed in a shaded area and an attempt should be made to cool the body, but without placing ice directly on it.
It is preferable to cool the victim with the help of a wet cloth. After that, the victim should be given something to drink if he is not unconscious. Suitable drinks include water and fruit tea. When the medical team arrives, the victim is treated according to the condition. For example, anticoagulant medications may be required in the hospital.
Do not go out in hot weather
In general, doctors recommend not going out during hot times as much as possible, or not being exposed to direct sunlight for long periods, while taking care to cover the head, and drinking sufficient amounts of fluids, with more and more attention in the case of children and the elderly.
The main problem with heat stroke is that the body is no longer able to transfer and release body temperature, as the temperature reaches 40 degrees and higher, while the normal tolerance is at 37 degrees.
It is important to know that heat causes the blood vessels to expand so that the maximum amount of hot blood is transferred to the skin, where heat can be released through sweating. This is why we should drink a lot on hot days, because the sweat on our skin evaporates, thus cooling the skin as well as the blood, which can then move to other areas of our bodies to regulate temperature.
However, heat stroke causes this system to fail, and then the blood clots, and small clumps block small vessels, which threatens the failure of many organs such as the liver, heart, and kidneys, as well as other organs.