Temperatures have fallen down rapidly in the Telangana State, Be very cautious!

Temperatures have fallen down rapidly in the Telangana State, Be very cautious!

Telangana state witnessed a steep drop in the temperatures, hence people are asked to be very cautious especially the children and older people. This is mainly because of the high intensity of several health risks of cold weather like heart attack, fluctuations in the blood sugar levels and infections with skin drying. 

Temperatures have fallen greatly in the state and the lowest temperatures are recorded in several districts in the state like Adilabad, Sanga Reddy, Kamareddy, Hyderabad and Warangal.In some places, temperatures do not reach at least double digits. People are waking up shivering and are not getting out of the house until 10 am and reaching their homes early due to the lowest temperatures. Bacteria and viruses are growing hugely and the number of people visiting hospitals with flu fever is also increasing. Experts suggest that advance precautions are needed to avoid the threat of cold weather.

Who’s at risk?

• Children under five years old and people older than 60 years of age
• People who underwent Organ transplantation
• People with Diabetes
• People suffering from cancer, heart disease, asthma and COPD.

Precautions to be taken during cold temperatures

• Going for walking in cold temperatures is not at all suggestible, people can practice exercising indoors.
• If you go out in the cold, wear thick clothes to cover your body.
• In order to avoid skin dryness, moisturizers should be applied to the skin along with coconut oil and olive oil.
• Our hands usually get frozen due to severe cold and henceit is better not to drive vehicles in the night.
• Most of the people reduce intake of water in colder days and that is not correct. Water should be taken in good quantities and one should stay hydrated.

People with Diabetes should be careful, says Dr. PV Rao, leading diabetic expert

Cold weather increases the risk of viral and bacterial infections in diabetes, especially the respiratory tract infections. Women are at an increased risk of developing Urinary tract infections in this weather. In cold weather, few changes take place in our Metabolism and the rate of metabolism increases to improve the body temperature. In this regard hunger also will be increased. Reduced exercising due to cold weather and eating too much, on the other hand, increases the risk of weight gain.In diabetics who take insulin injections, blood sugar levels often get fluctuating and one should keep this in mind and keep their weight in control.

High risk of Heart attack in colder weather, says Dr. Ramesh Gudapati, Cardiologist.

The blood vessels in the heart get shrunk due to cold weather and disrupt the blood supply to the heart. Cold can cause changes to the blood and increase the risk of developing blood clots. These clots can trigger the risk of heart attack and stroke. To cope up with the cold, many people prefer smoking and drinking alcohol. This causes abnormalities in the heart rhythm, Heart starts beating fast and this condition is called ‘arrhythmia’. Most of the people in this situation will die in sleep. Cholesterol levels in winter also increase, hence one should stop smoking and should not consume the alcohol more than the dose.

Risk of Skin problems raises in cold weather, says Doctor Parthasaradhi, Dermatologist.

Due to the dry atmosphere in winter or cold weather, water gets evaporated from the body. When our body loses a percentage of water, our skin becomes dry. People also experience cracks in their feet. This foot cracks further lead to infections. This condition is especially dangerous for those with Diabetes. In order to prevent this, one should apply moisturizing creams to their skin. Our skin should be massage with Coconut oil and olive oil. Risk of dandruff also increases in this cold weather and to control the dandruff people should use anti- dandruff shampoos on the advice of doctors.