Zhan Shuqin explained that stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident, is a common cerebrovascular disease in middle-aged and elderly people. There are two peak seasons for its occurrence: one is in the cold winter when the temperature is below 0°C, and the other is in the hot summer when the temperature exceeds 32°C. Strokes that occur in hot weather are called heat strokes, most of which are ischemic strokes.
She stated that after heat stroke, patients are likely to experience dizziness, headache, accompanied by visual rotation, nausea, and vomiting; various motor disorders, such as weakness or difficulty in moving one limb, unstable holding of objects, difficulty swallowing, choking when drinking water, and crooked mouth corners; sensory disturbances, such as numbness in the lips, face, tongue, or limbs; and some patients may experience changes in personality, behavior, and intelligence.
“Dizziness is one of the early symptoms of heat stroke, and heatstroke also has this symptom. Therefore, early identification of heat stroke is very important,” Zhan Shuqin said. She suggested using the “Stroke 120” principle to determine if it is heat stroke: “1” indicates one face asymmetry, crooked mouth corners, “2” indicates two arms raised parallel with one side weak, and “0” indicates slurred speech, difficulty expressing, or inability to accurately express basic short sentences. If one or more of these conditions are met, the risk of heat stroke is relatively high, and immediate medical attention is required.
“The main cause of heatstroke is the disruption of the body’s temperature regulation function in a high-temperature environment, which prevents timely heat dissipation, leading to a rapid rise in body temperature, causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and fainting. The body temperature of heatstroke patients is generally very high, often around 40°C, and they are mostly exposed to excessive sunlight or have been near heat sources,” Zhan Shuqin said.
Zhan Shuqin pointed out that the following three situations are likely to induce heat stroke:
First, failure to rehydrate in time. As the temperature rises, the body’s metabolism accelerates, sweating increases significantly, and if water is not replenished in time, blood volume decreases, blood viscosity increases, and blood flow slows down, making it easy to form blood clots, inducing cerebral ischemia and hypoxia, and causing transient ischemic attacks or cerebral infarction.
Second, improper use of air conditioning. Some people like to set the air conditioning temperature very low, resulting in a large temperature difference between indoors and outdoors. Middle-aged and elderly people, especially those with hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, find it difficult to adapt to the hot and cold temperature changes when entering and leaving rooms, leading to continuous contraction and dilation of cerebral blood vessels, causing cerebral circulation disorders and heat stroke. Similarly, taking a cold shower after exercise can also induce heat stroke.
Third, emotional agitation and restlessness. High temperatures can easily make people feel irritable and difficult to sleep. When the body is in a state of fatigue and stress, hormone release levels change, easily stimulating blood vessel contraction and inducing vascular lesions.
In daily life, how can heat stroke be effectively prevented? Zhan Shuqin suggested paying attention to the control of underlying diseases. Patients with a history of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular diseases should actively treat their conditions, follow medical advice to take medication on time, monitor blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipids, and regularly assess vascular conditions. Maintain a healthy lifestyle, do not smoke or drink excessively, replenish water in time, go to bed early and rise early, avoid cold drinks, eat reasonably, and maintain a calm mindset.
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