Elderly people and outdoor workers are prone to heat injuries, a physician said on Saturday, cautioning the public against engaging in outdoor activities when they feel unwell.
Taiwan has continued to see high temperatures this summer, with the mercury rising to as high as 37°C in some areas.
There were 1,189 heat-related injuries last month, an almost 60 percent increase from the 748 in June and is 34 percent higher compared with the 887 in the same period last year, Ministry of Health and Welfare data showed.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Heat injuries include heat stroke, heat syncope, heat cramps, anhydrotic or salt-depletion heat exhaustion, transient heat fatigue and heat edema, among others.
Most people with heat injuries who visited the emergency room were the elderly or outdoor workers at the heat exhaustion stage, with symptoms such as dizziness, pyrexia, anhidrosis and oliguria, Cheng Hsin General Hospital’s Emergency Medicine Department deputy director Valis Tanapima (田知學) said.
As people with heat exhaustion could gradually recover by lowering their body temperature, few heat stroke cases end up at the emergency room, she added.
Elderly people’s bodies are less adaptable to environmental changes, as most of them have “three highs” — high blood pressure, blood sugar and blood cholesterol levels — and other chronic diseases, she said.
Some elderly people who do morning exercise, such as dancing or hiking, could easily fall ill if they did not sleep well the night before or when they feel weak, Valis said.
On the other hand, outdoor workers could forget to stay hydrated after long hours of working under the sun, and some of them get dehydrated more easily due to drinking alcohol during lunch, she said.
It is advisable for outdoor workers or people who stay outside for long periods to drink more water — at least 30ml of water per kilogram of body weight — and to replenish electrolytes, Valis added.
She also said that everyone is different, so people should be alert whenever they feel ill or fatigued, and find somewhere to rest and cool themselves down.
It is advisable to stay indoors and not go outside or play sports if you feel unwell, Valis said.
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