Cardiovascular disease image./Getty Image Bank
Hypothermia is a common cold disease that can be caused by the extreme cold of winter. Hypothermia occurs when the temperature of the body’s organs and muscles falls below 35 degrees due to prolonged exposure to cold. Symptoms such as severe shaking of the entire body, loss of consciousness, and slurred speech appear. If left untreated, the function of major organs such as the heart and lungs may deteriorate, putting life at risk. In particular, young children have less subcutaneous fat and are at greater risk of hypothermia than adults. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, “If a patient develops hypothermia, they should quickly go to the hospital or move to a warm place. Drinking warm water is also helpful, but unconscious patients should not be given water because their airways may become blocked.”
People suffering from cardiovascular disease should be especially careful of winter cold. When the weather gets cold, the blood vessels in the human body contract. Because of this, blood pressure rises, heart rate rises, and cerebral hemorrhage, in which a blood vessel in the head bursts, may occur. Cerebral hemorrhage is accompanied by symptoms such as severe headache and paralysis, and if not treated promptly, death can occur within 24 hours.
Also, when it gets cold, platelets in the blood become activated and the blood becomes more sticky. Myocardial infarction, in which heart blood vessels are blocked, or cerebral infarction, in which cerebral blood vessels are blocked, becomes more likely to occur. In this case, if the blood vessel is not unclogged within 6 hours, you may die, or even if you survive, you may suffer aftereffects such as paralysis. An official from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said, “In the case of the elderly, these types of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases can suddenly occur when exposed to cold, so it is best to refrain from going out early in the morning or at night when a cold wave hits.”
Frostbite, which causes ears, fingers, and toes to freeze, is also a cold-related illness that people often suffer from during the winter. Symptoms include skin color changing to white or gray, and loss of sensation in the skin. In severe cases, the frostbitten area may need to be amputated. If symptoms of frostbite appear, soak the affected area in warm water and then go to the hospital. If you wear damp shoes in the cold for a long time, you may develop foot disease, which causes numbness and blisters in your feet. In severe cases, the skin may die, so you should take off wet shoes and socks, wipe off the moisture from your feet, and then go to the hospital.
2023-12-20 12:06:00
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