There is a heat wave with temperatures above 40 degrees in several places in Europe. The European Space Agency has announced that we may have a new temperature record in Europe this summer. The heat is expected to hit Spain, France, Greece, Croatia and Turkey. The governing authorities in several of the countries are now on alert. We talk about it every year, but how harmful is it for humans with high temperatures? It’s not just the temperature that determines Senior doctor Gunnar Hasle at Kry Reiseklinikken underlines that it’s not just the temperature that determines whether the heat can be dangerous, but also other conditions: – If there is high humidity, sweating works less well as a cooling mechanism. But if it is 40 degrees and the air is dry, sweating will be able to keep the body temperature down. Provided that one gets enough to drink. Senior doctor Gunnar Hasle says that it is not just the temperature that determines whether the heat is dangerous. Photo: Arash Nejad / Aftenposten The wind is also a factor: – If it is very hot, it will be hotter when it is windy than if there is no wind. When the air gets warmer than the body temperature, the wind will not make it cooler, says Hasle and tells: – I experienced that myself when I was in Morocco. There I was completely boiled during a short trip on the moped. Heat stroke is quite rare. If the body boils so well that our body temperature reaches 42 degrees, it is life-threatening. Then you get heat stroke, and: – Then you can die from it, emphasizes Hasle. Anette Hylen Ranhoff, professor at the University of Bergen and researcher at FHI, nevertheless says that heat stroke is quite rare. Anette Hylen Ranhoff says that heat stroke is quite rare, and that dehydration is what she sees most in Norwegian hospitals. Photo: Martin Habbestad / news – Heat stroke, which is a very serious condition, actually happens very rarely. She says that you then get an uncontrollably high body temperature which can cause damage to organs: – The blood flows more than it should. Then you can get blood clots and damage to internal organs such as kidneys, heart, brain. What she still sees most among people admitted to Norwegian hospitals because of the heat is dehydration: – One of the body’s mechanisms to avoid heat stroke is to evaporate liquid. If you don’t drink enough, you become dehydrated. You get low blood pressure, you can get damage to your kidneys, you can faint and fall. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to this. – In connection with dehydration, we usually do not find such a high body temperature when examining the patients. It is not the same as heat stroke. Here’s how you can avoid heatstroke: Drink plenty of water and other salty drinks – and avoid alcohol Eat some salty food, such as crisps Avoid the sun in the middle of the day Stay in an air-conditioned room to cool down Physical activity should be added early in the morning , if it is feasible at all Source: Fremtind Children and the elderly most vulnerable Anette Hylen Ranhoff says that those who are most vulnerable in the heat are the youngest and the oldest: – Both young children and the elderly have poorer temperature regulation. The body is less able to cool itself at high temperatures. Hylen Ranhoff says that a sign that children are struggling in the heat is that they become lethargic and irritable. She says that a wet coat and wet t-shirt is a good way to cool children down. But that the most important thing is to keep them away from the heat. Locals and tourists during the heat wave in the Italian capital. Photo: GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE / Reuters Gunnar Hasle also says that children are among the groups most at risk, but he is still most concerned about the elderly with heart problems: – The heart beats faster in the heat, and at 40 degrees, the minute volume may double . Those who are on diuretics should postpone their holiday, or travel to a place where it is not 40 degrees. Norwegians tolerate the heat worse People cool off on a beach in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday 12 July 2023. More than 10 of Spain’s regions are on alert with temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius. Photo: Emilio Morenatti / AP Hylen Ranhoff says that when the body gets above the normal body temperature, which is 36 and 37 degrees, it can cause health damage: – Here in Norway, we have a potentially health-damaging heat wave if there are temperatures above 28 degrees for more than five days in a row, and over 16 degrees at night, and continues: – But it is clear that if the temperatures are above 38 degrees or 40 degrees, and this is most of the day, and the temperatures do not fall below 25 at night then there are probably shorter days before it is harmful to health. She also says that northerners who come to southern areas probably have a higher risk than those who live there. People sit in the shade in the center of Rome. An intense heat wave has reached Italy, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in many cities across the country. Photo: Alessandra Tarantino / AP Gunnar Hasle says that humans are not only acclimatised to altitude, but also to heat: – When we acclimatise, the ability to sweat effectively increases. Acclimatization occurs if you stay in a high temperature for several weeks. – People on holiday are often only awake for 14 days or the like, so they didn’t have time to fully acclimatise anyway.
ttn-69
These should avoid traveling to Syden no – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
