Hot, hot, hot! What you should know to keep yourself safe in extreme heat
With the excessive heat we've been having there are some health risks when outdoors in the extreme heat and humidity.
NEW ORLEANS– With the excessive heat we’ve been having there are some health risks when outdoors in the extreme heat and humidity.
It is scorching outside and you’re definitely going to sweet in this extreme heat.
“It is hot, very hot, you come out here and you just start sweating,” Jimmy Swoop, said.
Swoop came to Audubon Park this morning for a quick workout, but he made sure to do it safely.
“You definitely have to be hydrated and drink water before you go outside, while you are here, and when I go home, all I drink is water,” he said.
That’s smart Jimmy because doctors say everyday now they’ve seen patients with heat-related illnesses. Whether it be heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke.
“These are patients that are confused and can’t stand up, they need emergency care. Any temperatures that go over 102, and 104 is heat stroke,” Dr. James Aiken, LSU Emergency Medicine Physician at UMC said.
Dr. Aiken said that kids under four years old, the elderly, and people with pre-existing health conditions are most at risk.
“Half the deaths are people with high blood pressure or diabetes,” he said.
Dr. Aiken wants people to remember that heat-related illnesses happen suddenly and unexpectedly, but can have lethal consequences.
“If you wait to be thirsty when you’re outside in this kind of heat then you’ve waited too long. If you go outside, be prepared to drink at least a quart of water an hour,” Dr. Aiken said.
The most important advice he said, “Don’t go outside in the heat like this.”
He also said do not drink alcohol in these conditions because alcohol dehydrates you.