In hot weather, the elderly and children are two groups that are susceptible to heatstroke. In young children, due to lack of knowledge and inability to recognize the signs of heatstroke, parents often give first aid incorrectly, leading to the condition becoming more serious.
Summer has just begun, but the past few days have been very hot. Due to the influence of El Nino, this summer is predicted to be hotter than usual. Because children’s body temperature is not well regulated, they are susceptible to heatstroke in hot weather.
“Children go to school without wearing hats, exercise in unusually hot weather. Especially in cases where the room is too cramped or in a car, in those cases, the air conditioning is not guaranteed, the temperature can increase” - Master, Doctor Luong Van Chuong - Head of the Emergency Department, Xanh Pon General Hospital said.
Signs of heatstroke in children
Early symptoms are fever, body temperature can increase to 39-40℃ accompanied by red face. Parents should also take a history of whether the child has been out in the sun before, has gone on a picnic without a hat or protective gear... If parents do not detect these signs early, it will lead to the child having convulsions and coma quickly, and in severe cases, it will lead to multiple organ failure and death.
When seeing their child has a fever, parents easily confuse it with the symptoms of other infectious diseases such as sore throat, pneumonia. Then give the child fever-reducing medicine. Dr. Luong Van Chuong said that this has no meaning in lowering the child's body temperature.
“Using fever-reducing drugs only has a chemical effect. The problem of heatstroke is caused by exposure to external heat sources, we must cool down with physical measures. If we continue to take fever-reducing drugs, it will damage the child's heart and liver, making the child more severe, increasing the risk of death. Therefore, when children have heatstroke, parents must always pay attention to see if the child is at risk of heatstroke. In case the child shows signs of risk, we must cool them with physical measures first. Then we will look for the cause. If the child has a very high fever due to heatstroke, do not use fever-reducing drugs" - MSc. Dr. Luong Van Chuong recommends.
First aid for children with heatstroke
According to Dr. Luong Van Chuong, when a child shows signs of fever, red face, and sweating a lot, and the medical history shows that the child has just returned from a hot environment, it can be determined that the child has heatstroke or sunstroke. At that time, there are 2 things to do:
- Cool the child by physical means: Take the child to a cool, shady place, cool room, fan, air conditioner, use a towel to wipe the child's body. This is physical cooling, helping the child's body temperature to drop below 39℃, which is safe. If the threshold exceeds 39℃, it can be dangerous for the child, causing metabolic disorders.
- Rehydrate children. When suffering from heatstroke, children lose a lot of water. So parents should rehydrate by giving children water, fruit juice... or mixing ORS for them to drink.
Prevent children from heatstroke and sunstroke
- Avoid exposing children to heat sources.
- When taking children out in the sun, make sure they wear full protective gear, glasses, hats, etc.
- Give children plenty of water, fruits, green vegetables...
- Avoid sudden changes in temperature. For example: Before letting your child enter an air-conditioned room, parents should adjust the air-conditioning temperature to be close to the outside temperature and then gradually lower it. This way, your child's body temperature will not change suddenly.
Mai Huong/VOV2
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