Summer Heat Worse For Diabetics
This summer has been one of the hottest on record, thousands of temperature records have been broken across the country, killing dozens of people and sending thousands with illnesses like heat exhaustion and dehydration to the emergency room. What you may not know is that, if you’re diabetic, this is bad news for you.
The early symptoms of heat illness include dehydration, nausea, vomiting, headaches and dizziness. Without proper medical attention death can occur.
Heat disorders share one common feature: the individual has been in the heat too long, or has exercised too much for his or her age and physical condition. I can’t even count the number of people I see jogging in the middle of a 105 degree day in Dallas. It’s suicidal!
But it’s worse for diabetics, and many diabetics are unaware of the dangers heat imposes on them. Heat is much more dangerous to people with diabetes because they have an impaired ability to sweat, predisposing them to heat-related illnesses. Sweating is the body’s natural mechanism to cool itself.
People living with diabetes need increased awareness of how heat affects their disease, according to a study from researchers from Mayo Clinic in Arizona, in collaboration with the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service.
For example, one in five respondents said they would not take precautions until the temperatures exceeded 100 degrees, yet heat illness can occur at 80 to 90 degrees when you factor in the heat index, which is the combination of air temperature and humidity. High humidity makes heat more dangerous because it slows the evaporation of perspiration — the way the body cools itself. You should restrict your outdoor activity if the heat index exceeds 105.
Heat also can harm the effectiveness of diabetes medications and supplies. “Oral medications as well as insulin have a therapeutic temperature range above which they lose efficacy,” said one of the investigators on the study. The drug’s package insert includes information about proper temperatures for storage. So, if you’re going out, don’t leave your meds in a hot car!
Safety Tips:
- Slow down. Reduce, eliminate or reschedule strenuous activities until the coolest time of the day. Children, seniors and anyone with health problems like diabetes should stay in the coolest available place, not necessarily indoors.
- Drink plenty of water or other non-alcohol or decaffeinated fluids, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Your body needs water to keep cool.
- Dress for summer. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing to reflect heat and sunlight.
- Stay out of the sun. Sunburn reduces your body’s ability to dissipate heat.
- During excess heat period, spend more time in air conditioned places.
- Do not take salt tablets unless specified by a physician.
- Take in less fuel. Foods, like meat and other proteins that increase metabolic heat production, also increase water loss.
Climate change is making our world a lot hotter than it used to be. The summer days are hotter and stretching their numbers into heat waves that never seem to end. As temperatures rise, so are the number of heat illnesses, emergency room visits, and deaths.
People with chronic diseases like diabetes are particularly vulnerable to the heat. Communities must be educated on heat-related illnesses and patients with chronic diseases need to be better informed on disease management in hot climates.
References:
http://www.noaawatch.gov/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://www.nrdc.org/health/
http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.
Jeff Kreisberg, Ph.D. is a healthcare consultant and author of the book “Taking Control of Your Healthcare.” If you need assistance with your healthcare needs, visit Jeff on his website and follow his blog, Taking Control of Your Healthcare. Follow Jeff on Twitter @kreisberg.
[Photo By nvbr11]