Beat the heat

Sun strokes and exhaustion are common in summer, but in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of patients suffering from jaundice and gastroenteritis. MiD DAY speaks to city doctors on what precautions need to be taken to stay healthy and ailment-free

It all started with a mild fever but soon aggravated to nausea and vomiting. Nivic Palan (12), who is in Class 5, fell so ill that he missed his final examinations. "The family had gone out to attend a marriage and all of us including Nivic had dinner there," explained his aunt, Jyotsna. The family members initially mistook Palan's symptoms for "exam fever and tension, which can cause vomiting, etcetera. But later on, it got serious." Finally Palan was admitted to Fortis Hospital in Mulund where he was diagnosed with jaundice and underwent treatment for almost three weeks.



Palan had to pay a heavy price for eating out. Not only, did he fail to appear for his final examinations but his academic career too was nearly jeopardised. "We have approached the school authorities and they have told us that they will think if Nivic should be promoted to the next class based on his previous class records," said Jyotsna. The Palans have now decided to stick to ghar ka khana(home cooked food) and have completely stopped eating out. Said Dr Pradip Shah, general physician at Fortis Hospital and Palan's doctor, "Hygiene is a big factor that people should take care of while eating out. High temperature and humidity increases the propensity for developing such infections."


Careful: People having street food at Zaveri Bazaar

Surge
Like Dr Shah, other doctors in the city too have noticed a surge in the number of infections and diseases like typhoid, gastroenteritis, vomiting, diarrhoea, etcetera this summer. However, lack of hygiene coupled with high temperature during summer, further increases the risk of infection. Said Monica Goel, consultant physician, Hinduja Hospital, "Gastroenteritis is particularly on the rise. Jaundice too is common as both the conditions are water and food borne infections. During summer most of the people tend to eat out. Many also tend to eat street food where hygiene levels are not good. As a result they land up with severe throat infections and viral diseases." Goel especially advises against eating ice golas, "these should be completely avoided." Goel said she sees 10-15 patients suffering from gastroenteritis and 7-8 patients suffering from jaundice everyday.


Eye Infection: Dr Arjun S Ahuja at his clinic in Tardeo. Pic/Atul Kamble

Dr Shah, however, attributes an increase in infection to the changing weather conditions. "Due to temperature fluctuations, mucosal barrier in our throat gets affected. People, who come home after being in the sun for a while, immediately consume cold drinks or cold water. So there is a sudden temperature fluctuation and this results in inflammation of the throat."

Dr Pratit Samdani said that as far as possible water should be boiled for more than 20 minutes before drinking, because, "this is a fool proof way of killing germs and at least water-borne diseases can be prevented."
Jitendra Patil, who is himself a doctor and currently being treated by Dr Samdani is recovering at Bhatia Hospital at Grant Road (W). "This is the first time I have been admitted to a hospital. I have been eating out for the last few days. Five days ago I even dared to have sugarcane juice from one of the roadside shops," said Patil regretfully. Having learnt his lessons, he swears not to eat at roadside stalls anymore. "I was absolutely fine when I was having food at home," he said.

Dangerous
In another case, said Samdani, "a patient of mine is pregnant and has to soon undergo a C-section. At the same time, she is suffering from severe diarrhoea and vomiting. She had eaten outside twice a few days ago. This could be dangerous for the baby too." At times, such summer induced diseases can be fatal too. "In extreme cases such diseases can cause renal failure," added Samdani, who is surprised by the fact that, "patients mostly in the age group of 25-35 are falling ill." However, simple precautions can help in preventing these infections.

If you are suffering from cough and cold, then use handkerchief while sneezing and coughing. This will prevent people around you getting infected. Also, doctors advise that food should not be kept out in the open for too long, as temperature coupled with humidity will give rise to fungal growth and other germs in the food. Boiling water for 20 minutes is must and drinking plenty of water during summer will prevent dehydration, say doctors.

Inflammation
Apart from infections and diseases one also needs to take care of skin and eyes especially during summer. Dryness and inflammation are the most common eye problems caused due to high temperature. Using protective glasses can help a lot in protecting the eyes from dust, pollution, etcetera. "Eyes should be frequently washed with cold water. For dryness of eyes the cornea has to be kept moist. So we give patients eye drops as substitute," said Dr Ambarish Darak, an ophthalmologist who has a clinic in Bandra (W). Personal hygiene can also help in preventing eye infections. Explained Dr Arjun S Ahuja, Head of the Department (HOD), Opthalmology at KEM Hospital, "using separate handkerchief and towel for cleaning your eyes will prevent you from infection. But if there is swelling of the eyes and pain, then one should immediately visit an ophthalmologist."

Inflammation of eyes can then be treated with antibiotics and steroids, he said. Dr Ahuja said that a lot of patients come to him with conjunctivitis and inflammation problems. "Nowadays I see almost 12-13 patients with this sort of infections. There has been a substantial increase from last year," said Ahuja.

Acme
Boils on skin and severe acme are also a concern amongst a lot of Mumbaikars. Miliria, which results in the appearance of tiny red dots on the surface of the skin, is caused due to excess humidity and heat and is a common problem. Personal hygiene, use of a good dusting powder and drinking lots of water can help. Said Dr Apratim Goel, a dermatologist, who has clinics in Bandra and Girgaum, "We see maximum cases of acme as excess sweating blocks oil glands and hence there is a lot of deposition of oil and results in acme.

In case of fungal infection, it is best to clean the area with antifungal cream. Apart from this, drinking lot of water can help. All these infections causes a lot of irritation in patients." Goel claims that many would-be brides visit her, "as this is the wedding season and they go out for shopping. Hence exposure to the sun rays can cause boils on skin and other problems." The best precaution according to Dr Goel is staying indoors. "The heat is maximum between 10 am and 2 so it is best to stay indoors during this time," she said.

Chicken pox
Cases of chicken pox and measles are also reported to be on the rise. Dr Pratit Samdani, consultant physician at Jaslok and Breach Candy hospitals, told MiD DAY, "Recently we treated two young patients for chicken pox, and three suffering from measles. People assume that chicken pox does not need treatment. However, I would advise them to consult doctors and take medication in order to avoid complications." Until recently,u00a0 Kohinoor Hospital was treating at least two cases of chicken pox every day. "Most of them were teenagers. But now the cases have come down," said Dr Amol Manerkar, consultant physician, at Kohinoor Hospital. A few precautions might helpu00a0 preventing these diseases, though there seems to be no respite from the heat.

Health Tips
* Boil water for at least 20 minutes before drinking
* Avoid eating outside. Not only roadside joints but restaurants too
* Ice golas, absolutely not
* Do not drink cold water or chilled beverage immediately after returning home. Give some time to your body to adjust to the temperature indoors
* If you have cough and cold then use handkerchief to sneeze in crowded places
* Don't keep food outside for long, as chances of fungal growth increases. Leftovers should be immediately kept in the fridge
* Don't eat food directly from the fridge. Heat it first and then have it
* Wash fruits properly before consuming them. Preferably peel the skin off, before having them
* Wash your hands with soap before eating anything
* Drink lots of water
* Avoid tea and coffee as they drain water from your body and excess of it can cause constipation too

For Eyes
* Use protective glass to protect your eyes from pollution, dust and sunrays. These glasses can be obtained from any optical shop
* If you have conjunctivitis then uses two different handkerchiefs for your two eyes. This will prevent infection to spread to the other eye.
* Use eye drops to keep eyes moist. This can help those who have dryness of eyes, However, eye drops should be brought only after consultating an ophthalmologist
*u00a0In case of pain, swelling or any discharge from the eyes, rush to an ophthalmologist. In extreme cases this can result in loss of vision too



For Skin
*u00a0Use dusting powder
*u00a0In case of fungal infection, use antifungal cream
*u00a0Drink water to compensate for the amount of sweat lost from your body
*u00a0If possible, avoid going out in the sun
*u00a0In case of infections, exfoliate that part of your body. This will clean up the dead cells and rejuvenate the skin