How does heat kill? Hot weather overloads brain, heart and other internal organs

June 29 marks International Day of the Tropics, which is meant to draw attention to the problems affecting the warmest zone on Earth. Meanwhile, unbearable heat has been plaguing the intertropical zone for several weeks now, causing premature deaths and fainting. More than 1,300 Muslims died during this year’s pilgrimage to Mecca. Why is the heat so dangerous to the human body?

Deadly heat – a physiological explanation

The human body’s normal temperature of 37 degrees Celsius is actually only 4 degrees lower than the physiological disaster that is heat stroke. And it can increase not only under the influence of infection, but also the hot air around. Internal organs then overheat, so the alarmed brain redirects blood toward the skin to cool it down. This is visible to the naked eye in the form of redness.

Unfortunately, this change in circulation means that blood from around the stomach and intestines begins to distribute toxins around the body, which are normally concentrated around the digestive system. This causes a cascade of problems leading to excessive blood clotting and internal organ failure. At the same time, there is disorientation and problems with thinking – a person often does not understand what is happening to him.

Hot weather is particularly threatening to those suffering from cardiovascular diseases. This is because sending blood to the skin also translates into an overall drop in pressure. So the heart starts pumping more intensely to keep a person from fainting. In some cases, this can end tragically.

The third risk factor associated with overheating is dehydration. The body also tries to cool itself by excreting sweat – and the warmer it gets, the more we sweat. Electrolyte balance is disturbed, which can lead to kidney failure. Dehydration results in shock, and internal organs stop working due to lack of blood, oxygen and nutrients.

The balance of casualties continues to rise

Summer has barely begun, and the world’s media are already reporting fatalities from high temperatures. In Saudi Arabia, according to the country’s Health Ministry, 1,301 pilgrims participating in the annual hajj to the Al-Kaba shrine in Mecca have died. Many of them walked for long hours in the scorching sun. The Arab health service provided a total of 465,000. specialized therapy services.

The situation is also dramatic in India, where the hot weather has been going on since May. On Friday, June 21, the heat index, or sensible temperature corrected for humidity, reached 53°C in New Delhi. According to the local Minister of Economic Affairs. water management, up to 2.8 million people are at serious risk because the Yamuna River, which feeds the city, has significantly lowered its level and there is not enough water for everyone. In total, more than 140 deaths and 42,000 deaths have already been reported nationwide. heat stroke cases.

Tropical weather is reaching farther and farther beyond the tropics. The hot weather has also been giving Pakistanis a hard time for several weeks. A temperature of 47°Cwas recorded in Sindh province on Tuesday, June 25. In Karachi, 1,500 heatstroke patients were treated on Monday, eight of whom died. However, there were dozens of fatalities according to city hospital officials in previous days.

It is (and will be) hot in Europe as well. In Greece on Monday, June 24, the media reported another tourist who was found with no signs of life. The 68-year-old German had gone missing the day before in Crete. This is yet another consecutive heat casualty in the Peloponnese and surrounding islands.

International Day of the Tropics – what is its significance?

The United Nations established International Day of the Tropics in 2016. Its goal, on the one hand, is to celebrate the biological and cultural diversity of the zone around the equator. On the other hand, the UN wants to draw the world’s attention to the problems and challenges facing tropical countries. These include. Climate change, deforestation or demographic changes.

And forecasts say that by 2050. The tropics will be home to the majority of the world’s population and as many as two-thirds of all children on Earth. This is a frightening vision, since the zone between the tropics sees the highest rates of poverty and malnutrition, and nowhere else is the urban population living in slums so high. In such living conditions, the heat becomes an unequivocal sentence.