Area not used to dangerous temperatures, warns ER physician
A local emergency physician is anticipating ER visits as heat wave continues.
PRINCETON, W. Va. (WVVA) -Across the country, summertime and heat go hand in hand. In the Two Virginias, however, these high temperatures combined with an area not used to them, have led Dr. Edwin Leap, emergency physician at WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital, to anticipate having to treat people for heat illnesses in the coming weeks, with the most common affliction being heat exhaustion.
“We often aren’t accustomed to it, and so people go out in it, and work in the yard and don’t hydrate and before they know it, they’re dehydrated, lightheaded, they pass out and fall to the ground...” says Dr. Leap,
Elevated temperatures can cause a number of problems, from muscle damage to heart damage, even kidney stones. However, some of the most severe are heart attacks, acute kidney failure, seizures caused by heat stroke, and even death, something Doctor Leap says is not uncommon in times of high temperatures.
“...It’s a combination of dehydration, and the fact that the temperature is just not good for your normal metabolism... our bodies aren’t designed to work with those temperatures,” explains Dr. Leap.
He recommends, if possible, to stay inside.
“I think there are people who are super athletes who can probably power through some of that, but they have to be trained for it, they have to have been training in it and be used to it. People who live in very hot climates are often more accustomed to it. This is not us, and we are not designed or accustomed, for the most part, to this sort of heat, so you can’t; it’s going to catch up with you. You can’t ‘cheat the heat,’ as it were,” says Dr. Leap.
Warning signs include light headedness, confusion, sweaty skin suddenly turning dry, and possibly chest pains and shortness of breath, if you have a chronic illness. Dr. Leap says the very young, very old, and people on some medications are especially vulnerable to heat, and should be monitored, as even indoor temperatures can become fatal.
If you do have to work outside, Doctor Leap encourages you to take breaks and hydrate and also consider rescheduling your outdoor time to mornings or evenings. If you’d like more information about heat illnesses, he recommends getting information from the CDC and Mayo Clinic.
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