Los Angeles County health officials are releasing heat warnings and advisories, as temperatures are predicted to rise in some areas starting.
High temperatures are predicted for both Saturday and Sunday in Antelope Valley Santa Clarita Valley, northwest L.A. County mountains and the western San Gabriel Mountains.
Public health experts suggest caution in avoiding illnesses caused by heat, particularly for people who are older and children as well as those who suffer from chronic illnesses and those who work outside. If possible, avoid being outside during the hottest time of the day. Also, be certain to stay hydrated.
“On any day with extreme heat, emergency rooms in Los Angeles see an additional 1,500 patients,” states David Eisenman, MD who is a professor of UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and the Fielding School of Public Health.
“We estimate that an additional 16 people die on a single day of heat in Los Angeles County,” Dr. Eisenman says. “There are an extra 40 deaths a day by the fifth day of heat.”
These illnesses of heat are most prevalently affecting Black and Hispanic people living in historically redlined communities He says that houses have less insulation and often do not have air conditioning, and have fewer trees that provide shade.
“Part of the lack of investment was the lack of trees and shade,” Dr. Eisenman says. “These are areas that have a temperature that is a couple of degrees higher every day. In extreme heat day, they may be ten or twenty degrees more scorching.”
Different types of heat illness
Injuries and heat illnesses can vary from heat rash and sunburn, to more serious ailments like heat exhaustion or heat stroke as per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All calls for cooling the patient and taking them away from the sunlight. The effects of heat stroke could be fatal, according to Mark Morocco, MD who is a professor of emergency medicine and surgery at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and an attending faculty member in the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Emergency Department.
“That use of the term ‘stroke’ is because you should really think of it as a life-threatening heat illness,” Dr. Morocco says. “Heat stroke is a crisis which is a huge emergency, just like an ordinary brain stroke occurs. This is a situation where you have to be quick to respond and get your patient to someone who can assist them. This means calling 911.”
A heat stroke occurs when the body’s core temperature is greater than the 103 degree mark. These extreme temperature “cook” the body at the cellular level “so proteins stop working and basic body functions begin to break down,” Dr. Morocco says.
Identifying the signs of heat stroke
The majority of people who suffer from heat stroke start acting oddly, as if they’re “drunk with heat,” Dr. Morocco says. Someone who is overheated could:
- Feel confused or agitated.
- Do you have trouble walking or speaking?
- Feel dizzy or nauseated
A person who is experiencing these symptoms should seek immediate cooling and medical care. Contact 911 and, while waiting for help arrive:
- Remove the person from the heat, and move them into shade, or into a cool space.
- Take off or loosen the clothing that is tight or restricting.
- Begin to cool them down in any way you’re able. Apply damp, cold towels to their body, or spray their body with cool water. If possible, direct a fan towards the skin to produce the effect of evaporative cooling.
“The thing to remember is we want to reduce the core body temperature as quickly as possible, back down to what sounds like a relatively normal temperature range, where people are used to taking care of fevers,” Dr. Morocco says.
The effects of heat stroke can be felt by anyone regardless of whether you’re exercising outside in the scorching heat. For those who exercise, it is important to exercise with care, staying in a hot home for a few days could raise the body’s core temperature up to potential danger levels.
The symptoms of heat exhaustion typically occur before the heat stroke kicks in.
Identifying signs of heat exhaustion
Patients suffering from heat exhaustion may not exhibit the symptoms associated with heat stroke the doctor. Morocco says, but they’re more likely to
- Looks like it’s to be overheated
- Drink heavily
- Have a quick pulse
- Feel weak or tired
- Experience muscle cramps, nausea or vomiting
People suffering from these symptoms should to be moved out of the sun and move to the shade or a cool space Drink non-alcoholic fluids, and take a break.
Patients suffering from heat exhaustion generally recognize that they’re overheating the doctor. Morocco says. However, those suffering from heat stroke may not recognize it, because the condition gets worse as they continue to be exposed to heat.
“The important thing to keep in mind is that we need to lower the temperature of our core as fast as is feasible …”
Dr. Mark Morocco
“People can be exposed to increasing levels of heat over a heat wave of a couple of days, or even a week, and slowly get worse and worse and worse,” the doctor states. “It starts with “It’s hot, I’m feeling ill. It could be that they’re suffering from additional medical issues or difficulties. Then, suddenly they are in a state of being unable to discern what’s happening.”
Make sure you take action to avoid serious illnesses
It’s vital to keep track of loved ones, particularly older adults living on their own in the heat of summer.
It is recommended to stay clear in the shade during most scorching periods of the day, if you can. If you do your exercise outdoors, make sure you do it an early rise or in the evening. When you’re on the beach, or in in the park, find an area that is shaded. Encourage children to take a break regularly and drink plenty of water.
If a heat stroke occurs, find cool areas to be in. If your house isn’t equipped with air conditioning, you might want to go to a mall, movie theater, or an air conditioning center. Los Angeles County maintains a list of cooling facilities at the Ready LA County.
“The most important thing for folks to realize is that in hot weather, you’ve got to check on people who are at risk,” Dr. Morocco says. “That includes the elderly; it includes people who have lots of medical problems; it also includes includes infants and children.”
