In light of the recent heatwave that has hit South East Australia, we have noticed an increase in heat related injuries and conditions across all our pharmacies. The main conditions that we will discuss will be dehydration, heat stroke, sunburn and asthma.
Dehydration occurs when the body loses water, and can have a variety of causes. The most common factor we have seen in recent weeks has resulted from increased sweating and inadequate liquid intake during hot weather. The most common symptoms are thirst, headache and dizziness (especially when standing up).
These effects can be easily reversed if treated early enough with appropriate therapy. Closely related to dehydration is a group of conditions called ‘Electrolyte Imbalances’. These imbalances occur in this case when the bodies normally very finely controlled levels of electrolytes are thrown out by excessive sweating removing electrolytes from the body. In this case, drinking too much water can actually make this problem worse.
Symptoms of some electrolyte imbalances are muscle cramps, headaches and blurred vision.
The pharmacists at UFS are always on duty to discuss the best course of action, and can help to determine the necessary dose and therapy to recover from these conditions.
