Summer heat is more than uncomfortable – for people with disabilities it can be life threatening Heat exhaustion and heat stroke affect everyone, but with disabilities and the medications used to treat them, extreme heat is far more dangerous.
Knowing the difference between them can save your life.
Disability increases your heat risk due to many chronic conditions that disrupt sweating and increased blood circulation to the skin. Spinal cord injuries may have impaired sweating below the level of injury which limits your ability to regulate body temperature.
Multiple Sclerosis can cause heat sensitivity so severe that even a mild rise in core temperature worsens the neurological symptoms – known as Uhthoff’s phenomenon.
Medications commonly prescribed for seizures, depression, anxiety, Parkinson’s disease, and bladder control can reduce the ability to sweat and blunt the thirst response. Diuretics used for heart and kidney conditions, increase dehydration risk. Multiple medications and conditions can be cumulative.
Mobility limitations add another layer. If you cannot move to a cooler environment, access water, remove clothing or get out of an enclosed chair, your options are restricted. Cognitive disabilities may affect your ability to recognize the warning signs
Heat Exhaustion: is characterized by feeling faint & dizzy, excessive sweating, cool, pale clammy skin, nausea and vomiting, a rapid, weak pulse, and muscle cramps. Get to a cool place, drink water, and take a cool shower or use cold compresses on neck, armpits, and groin.
Heat Stroke: Throbbing headache, no sweating, blacked out vision, body temp above 103 degrees, red hot dry skin, nausea and vomiting, rapid, strong pulse. Call 911 and get into a cool place as instructed above until help arrives. Libraries and senior centers often open designated relief sites during heat advisories.
Know the signs and your particular vulnerabilities. Heat is predictable. With the right knowledge, its danvers are preventable.