How to deal with heatstroke? Is taking antipyretic medicine reliable for cooling down? Come and learn
2024-07-26
At present, it is in the period of Sanfu, and many parts of the country are experiencing high temperatures. The highest temperature in Changsha on the 24th even reached 40.4 ℃, breaking the local record for the highest temperature in July. The unbearable heat in many places has led to an increase in the number of heatstroke cases received by hospitals, and even some patients have a body temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius, which is commonly known as heat stroke. In severe cases, it can be life-threatening. Recently, there has been a rumor circulating online that "heatstroke is similar to fever caused by bacterial or viral infections, as long as you take antipyretic medicine to cool down, it will be cured." Does this statement have scientific basis? Let's learn together how "heatstroke" requires physical cooling as soon as possible. How does heatstroke or life-threatening heatstroke occur and how should it be cooled down? Heat stroke is an acute disease characterized by central nervous system or cardiovascular dysfunction, mainly caused by dysfunction of the thermoregulatory center or sweat gland function, as well as excessive loss of water and electrolytes. Due to exposure to high temperatures and lack of ventilation, the human body is unable to adapt to and tolerate the high temperature environment, resulting in the production of more heat in the body than the heat emitted outside the body. Wu Haiyun, Chief Physician of the First Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital: Essentially, heatstroke is caused by the high temperature of the environment, especially when the temperature and humidity are high, which hinders the body's heat dissipation, leading to an increase in body temperature and affecting organ function. So the treatment for heatstroke requires physical cooling as soon as possible. Heatstroke is divided into premonitory heatstroke, mild heatstroke, and severe heatstroke. Among them, severe heatstroke can be further divided into heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke, with heat stroke being the most severe condition. Wu Haiyun, Chief Physician of the First Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital: The biggest impact of heatstroke is still on the brain, and the main cause of death is brain damage. Heat stroke can cause coma within tens of minutes or even half an hour. Once a coma occurs, it is very dangerous and has a high mortality rate. Experts emphasize that antipyretic drugs do not have a cooling effect and cannot alleviate symptoms of heatstroke. On the surface, heatstroke and fever are both caused by an increase in body temperature, but in reality, the triggers are different. Do not use medication indiscriminately for heatstroke, especially antipyretics. Wu Haiyun, Chief Physician of the First Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital: A typical fever is actually caused by inflammation. Antipyretic drugs, more specifically anti-inflammatory drugs, reduce or prevent the inflammatory factors that cause fever, and do not have a cooling effect on their own. Heat caused by heatstroke is a problem with the body's heat dissipation center, which cannot dissipate heat through sweating. Taking antipyretic medicine cannot restore the normal function of the heat dissipation center, but it has the opposite effect, exacerbating symptoms, damaging organs, and delaying rescue opportunities. Experts suggest that the quickest way to alleviate symptoms of heatstroke or even heat stroke is to first send the patient to a cool, ventilated, and sun protected place. Secondly, quickly cool down with cold water below 7 ℃, wipe the patient's body, or even soak the whole body. Thirdly, administer cold water or even ice water to rapidly lower the body temperature. If symptoms of coma occur, seek medical attention promptly. Are people with better physical condition and stronger physique more prone to heatstroke? At the same time, there is a saying online that 'people with better physical condition and stronger physique are more prone to heatstroke', is that correct? Experts say that everyone is at risk of heatstroke when exposed to high temperatures. Children, pregnant women, the elderly, those with chronic underlying diseases, and those with impaired immune function are at greater risk. People with strong bodies who engage in intense exercise or labor in high temperatures can also suffer from heatstroke. Many people cannot do without air conditioning in summer. There are rumors online that turning on the air conditioning first, turning it off when the room cools down, and turning it back on when it gets hot can save electricity. Is that so? In fact, frequent switching on and off of the air conditioner actually consumes more electricity. Although the air conditioner does not consume energy when it is not working, the energy consumption during the start-up phase is very high. If there are too many restarts, the total energy consumption will exceed the energy consumption of keeping the air conditioner on all the time. (New Society)
Edit：HAN ZHUOLING Responsible editor：CAICAI
Source：gmw.cn
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