People with heart diseases are seriously affected by weather conditions. Patients should adapt factors such as their lifestyles, clothing styles, and eating habits according to the existing weather conditions.
In addition, drug treatments should be rearranged in patients when necessary.
Hot and humid weather poses serious health problems for heart patients. It should not be forgotten that it creates It should be known that it poses an increased risk, especially for patients with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, rhythm disorders and heart failure. One of the most important mechanisms that keeps body temperature constant is the blood circulation of the skin. The vessels that feed the skin try to reduce or increase the heat loss in the body by contracting in the cold and expanding in the heat. This situation requires the heart to work harder. In patients with heart failure, blood flow is directed predominantly to the skin, which may lead to decreased blood flow to vital organs. In addition, increased heart load, increased heart rate, vascular stenosis, valve disease and heart failure may cause deterioration and worsening of their condition. The human body is cooled thanks to the skin, which works like an air conditioner. While evaporation occurs during increased blood flow and sweating on the skin, the underlying skin and circulating blood are cooled.
As the humidity of the air increases, evaporation decreases and the cooling mechanism deteriorates. In humidity, people feel hot flashes, feel like they are suffocating, and sweating is impaired. In addition, sweating to maintain heat balance also affects the body's salt and fluid balance. This causes serious problems for those with heart disease. The decrease in the volume of fluid circulating in the veins causes the fluidity of the blood and the amount of blood passing through the kidneys to decrease. This condition may lead to deterioration in kidney function if sufficient fluid is not consumed. In order to balance this, substances secreted from the kidney and adrenal glands can cause the vessels to constrict and increase the symptoms of heart failure with sudden increases in blood pressure.
It is very important for patients with hypertension and using diuretic drugs to drink sufficient amounts of fluid. Otherwise, sudden drops in blood pressure and deterioration in kidney functions may occur. Besides, tansiy Some patients who use calcium channel blockers as an antidepressant experience increased swelling in their legs and ankles due to heat. Patients in this situation should pay more attention to salt restriction. Since hypertension is a disease that usually does not cause any complaints, most patients cannot notice changes in blood pressure. It is useful to monitor changes in blood pressure more closely, especially during seasonal changes. Therefore, patients with high blood pressure should consult their doctor to avoid any problems during the summer months. Thus, the medication use of these patients can be rearranged for the summer period if deemed necessary by their physicians.
During extremely hot and humid days, the number of people who have a heart attack or die due to cardiovascular disease increases. Observational studies conducted in years of extreme heat waves have shown that elderly patients and patients with comorbidities are more affected.
Some basic precautions to be taken to prevent hot weather from negatively affecting the functioning of the metabolism and to spend the summer months healthily can be listed as follows:
- In summer months, choose light-coloured, comfortable and loose-fitting clothes made of fabric that does not increase sweating.
- Avoid heavy, fatty meals, eat small and frequent meals rich in vegetables and fruits. Try to eat in a healthy way.
- You should not walk outdoors, especially when the sun is upright, and if you drink alcohol, you should definitely not drink alcohol outdoors under the sun when the sun's rays are vertical.
- During the summer months, the daily fluid requirement is 2-3 hours. increases to liters. Be careful to consume 2.5-3 liters of water a day in summer.
- Care should be taken when consuming soda and mineral water. Uncontrolled consumption of mineral water and soda will increase blood pressure and may cause symptoms of heart failure to appear or worsen.
- Since the loss of electrolytes, especially sodium, in our body will be high with sweat, use salt in accordance with your doctor's opinion.
- Enter the sea in the morning and evening on an empty stomach, do not sunbathe on the sand, Swim parallel to the shore and do not swim offshore.
- Be sure to have your heart checked before going on a long trip.
- Consult your doctor and ensure that your hypertension medications are adjusted according to the summer.
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