Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live
Heat causes eye, skin ailments
NAVI MUMBAI: Watch out for sunstrokes in the days to come.
With temperatures not looking like they will drop any time soon, city doctors have noted a rise in ailments related to the heat. The rise in temperature coupled with high humidity has been impacting residents’ health. Many of them have been making multiple visits to hospitals, doctors said.
“During the summer, people generally have lot of health issues, the most common being dehydration. For the past few days the heat has been unbearable and we have had many patients complain of giddiness and nausea,” said Dr Farah Ingle, general physician at Fortis hospital in Vashi.
“For the last couple of weeks
Dehydration makes the
eyes dry too. It is
important to splash your
eyes with water frequently,
and keep yourself
adequately hydrated.
MAHENDRA DIVE,
eye specialist
patients are coming with complaints of lethargy, body ache and even irritability because of the heat, apart from muscle pain and acidity,” said Dr Sangram Karandikar, gastroenterologist. While general physicians and gastroenterologists have been seeing patients with the internal effects of heat, there is has also been a rise in the number of patients that have visited dermatologists and eye specialists. “Heat causes lot of skin disorders and I have been treating around 30-40 patients a day with such complaints, which is a lot. Prickly heat is the most common problem, along with boils and heat rashes,” said Dr Ashok Jain from MGM hospital, Vashi.
Many are complaining of dryness or burning the eyes as well. “When the body gets dehydrated, the eyes also become dry. Thus, it is important to not only splash your eyes with water frequently, but also to keep yourself adequately hydrated,” said Dr Mahendra Dive, eye specialist from Koparkhairne.
With the temperature expected to go up to 39°C and relative humidity levels up to 80% in Navi Mumbai in the next five days, doctors suggest that people cover themselves appropriately and avoid self-medication in case of any discomfort.