How to prevent and cure heatstroke

If you take these steps, you can avoid going to the hospital at all even as Karachi buckles under sizzling temperatures.

Mehreen Hasan | Hussain Ali Published June 23, 2015

This article was originally published on June 23, 2015 by Dawn.com.

As a heatwave takes over 500 lives in Sindh, the question on everyone's minds is: how can a heatstroke be prevented?

Prevention is better than a cure.

As always, the experts say that prevention is better than cure.

"Hydrate well at Sehri, Iftar and post-Iftar", says Dr Baqir at Aga Khan University Hospital.

"You can drink water, juice, milk and anything with water content... note that tea, coffee and caffeinated drinks are diuretics, that is, they will make you visit the bathroom more and eventually dehydrate your body."

He adds that the elderly and sick are discouraged from fasting; if they are fasting, they must stay indoors.

The reason? The temperature outside, especially in the afternoon (around 42 degrees Celsius), is higher than our body's temperature (37 degrees Celsius), which results in our body's heat being trapped inside. This results in the overheating of our internal organs.

Younger people are capable of withstanding such conditions, but the elderly, people with heart and/or lung problems or anyone who is not a normal, healthy adult are more vulnerable to heat stroke.

Hospitals are over-run. What to do when symptoms are detected at home?

If you take the following steps, you can avoid going to the hospital at all:

1) Immediately break the fast. Drinks lots of water and restore the body's salts with lemon shikanjabeen or ORS.

2) Take a shower and sit facing a fan to encourage evaporation and cooling down of the body.

3) In case of extremely high fever (106-108 degrees Celsius), you can simulate cold water immersion by placing icepacks in the armpits, groin, neck and back.

4) Fever caused by heat stroke are not caused by infection, therefore do not try to treat it by taking Paracetamol. It will not work.

Comments (17) Closed

white noise

Jun 23, 2015 05:42pm

Dawn should start a "health and wellbeing" section.

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Mohammad

Jun 23, 2015 06:49pm

People be staying well hydrated and loose cotton clothes (Non cotton clothes retain heat especially in females with nylon added clothes). People with medical issues, elderly, people with diabetes, people who are very thin should avoid fasting. Medications like water pills and medical conditions with diarrhea, ad underlying kidney disease can make dehydration worse; people in all these situations should avoid fasting. In short, elderly, thin, people with medical conditions even appearing good, fasting can create problem in such an intense heat with humidity.

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Harmony-1

Jun 23, 2015 07:56pm

There are a number of things people can do to help themselves. These include: wearing damp clothes which will help lower the body's temperature. sticking one's hands in cold water. placing fans next to windows as this will draw air from outside, which should be cooler. wearing looser clothes. having a lukewarm shower rather than a cold one. fanning the face rather than other parts of the body.

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Amjad Ali Surhio

Jun 23, 2015 08:03pm

Such public services activities should have been done before. What about government do they have any responsibility? Do they know the sufferings of poor masses? Heat stroke killed more than five hundred innocent people but still no relief activities being carried out in order to accommodate suffered families. Carrying out public services masseges to avoid more death. What about so called disaster management authorities NDMA & PDMA they are considered experte in dealing with such disasterious situation but they seems to be sleeping as ususl. There is no body to take responseability to deal with whether its terrorism or disaster in terms fire, heat, heavy rain or cold wave but provision of electricity, drinking water, quality health services etc. Despite of paying huge texes condition never improve... It for all that reason we vote and elect governments!!!! But it seems they are not elected but selected by the angles who do not require all these things.

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Asfandeyar

Jun 23, 2015 09:58pm

Excellent advice all-round. May i just add that people could do the sensible thing and 1) stay out of the sun and 2) if you know your working in the field, don't fast... God want's to make life easy not lethal for his servants.

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Kashif

Jun 23, 2015 11:28pm

When there is no water and electricity in our beloved Karachi, then how to treat?

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on looker

Jun 24, 2015 02:05am

I can't bear the look of the eyes of this woman! our rulers are sub-human creatures!

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Jun 24, 2015 02:16am

Sir, Nawaz should be tied to a pole in full normal heat. So that he could understand that, what the heat stroke is and how the poor enjoy it.

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Fazal Karim

Jun 24, 2015 02:29am

Good advice, better if it had come a week earlier though Urdu print and electronic media. Government should have taken initiative to warn and prepare people for this disaster ( giving impression that Pakistan is most backward State). We should come out of taboo and should have advised weak and old not to fast and break fast when they are unable to bear heat. This is lesson for health department to get prepared for such disasters in future.

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Siddhartha Shastri

Jun 24, 2015 04:45am

When you are suffering those throbbing headaches and fever caused by heat-stroke, a simple and cheap home-remedy will almost certainly cure you overnight. Crush an onion or two and squeeze the juice out. Apply it to your palms, soles of feet, forehead and skull. Rest for a few hours in shade. You will stink of onions for a bit, but you can wash it away later. Your headaches and fever would be gone! Always worked for me during the summers.

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Roshee

Jun 24, 2015 08:30am

Thanks for such a useful article

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SUHAIL SHAIKH

Jun 24, 2015 09:15am

NO SHAME TO OUR RULERS AND FAILURE TO PROVIDE BASIC NEEDS TO PUBLIC.THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO RULE.

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Rubina

Apr 30, 2019 05:00pm

Keep a small spray bottle with you and spray water on feet, face and hands from time to time. it has a very cooling effect. Do Wuzzu even when not praying, as this also has a very cooling effect along with strengthening the spiritual system that result in enhancing the ability to bear the extremities.

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Blas Famous

Apr 30, 2019 07:27pm

Plant billion trees. Only solution.

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Hafeez, Canada

Apr 30, 2019 08:37pm

Use umbrellas when going out. Install sprinkler systems under trees or shaded areas.

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Nadeem Wagan

Apr 30, 2019 10:48pm

Plant trees Establish heatwave camps across the Karachi

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Zak

Apr 30, 2019 11:33pm

@on looker, Where is PPP and its leadership. All of them should be out with the people.

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