HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON AVOIDING HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES

UPDATE: A recent article in the American Association of Retired Persons News, warns older people of the dangers of summer heat. According to this article, extremely hot weather can be life threatening to older persons, particularly those with health problems such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.

According to an analysis by the Center for Environmental Physiology in Washington, D.C., there were between 10,000 and 15,000 fatalities related to heat problems last year and about 70 percent of those fatalities were older Americans.Since heat waves are inevitable, it is important to know what to do when the weather gets hot. The following tips have been made by the association and may be helpful to not only older readers, but others as well:

1. Acclimate your body to the heat by gradually increasing your exposure.

2. Drink plenty of liquids, even more than your thirst indicates; avoid alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea and other drinks which contain caffeine.

3. Limit your physical activities during the hottest part of the day.

4. If you must go outside, stay in the shade, wear a wide-brimmed hat or use an umbrella.

5. Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.

6. Park your car in the shade, and before entering, roll down windows and open doors to allow heat to escape.

7. Keep rooms cool during hot spells by setting air conditioners to 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit and drawing curtains over sunny windows. For people without air conditioning, place room-size electric fans in front of windows to pull hot air outside.

8. Take cool showers or baths to help reduce body temperature.

9. Learn the early warning signs of heat stress. The most common problems are:

a. Heat cramps. The least serious of the heat-related illnesses. This condition is brought on by physical labor or exercise during extremely hot days. Heat cramp symptoms include sweaty skin, weakness and nausea, occasional tingling in the arms or legs or muscle cramps usually beginning in the abdomen and legs.

b. Heat exhaustion. Most common form of heat illness. Typical symptoms include a rapid pulse, profuse sweating, thirst, clammy or sweaty skin, dizziness, nausea and sometimes a slightly elevated body temperature.

c. Heat stroke. The most dangerous of all problems related to heat. With heat stroke, the victim's sweat glands fail to function, resulting in an excessively high body temperature or hyperthermia. Symptoms may include a rapid pulse, dizziness, faintness or unconsciousness, staggering, agitation, headache, confusion, diarrhea and hot, dry, reddened skin.

The group advises older persons who are unable to correct overheated living conditions to go to air-conditioned senior centers, libraries, movie theaters or shopping malls during the hottest part of the day or to contact local agencies for assistance.

(SB) Garth Fisher is director of the Human Performance Research Center at Brigham Young University.