LUCKNOW: The ongoing heatwave is giving a tough time to city residents but patients suffering from ailments like cancer, asthma or skin problems are the worst hit.
As the Met department forecast hints at no respite in the days to come, doctors advise patients to stay hydrated.
Maintaining hydration level in the body is even more important for patients of cancer, auto-immune disorders or any other disease which affects immunity.
“When cancer patients are on chemotherapy, we give them hydration therapy as well, which is temporary. In between two chemotherapies, it is important that such patients maintain their hydration level. This is because cancer patients have low immunity and they are at a higher risk of catching infections and getting dehydrated in extreme weather conditions. Dehydration can make them susceptible to general ill health and infection,” said Dr Sudhir Singh from radiotherapy department at the King George’s Medical University (KGMU).
Head of urology department at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Prof Aneesh Srivastava said, “Dehydration can affect all parts of the body, including kidneys. When the body of kidney patients is dehydrated, there is an increased burden on the organ to extract liquid which affects health.”
For asthmatic patients, occurrence of asthmatic attack is doubled in high humidity.
“Humidity is a known causative factor for asthma. For such patients, it is best to stay away from humid conditions. After consultation with doctors, they can increase the dosage of steroids temporarily,” said Prof Santosh Kumar, a faculty member at KGMU’s pulmonary medicine department.
Skin problems also get aggravated during the summers. “A large number of people get sunburns, rashes and Miliaria Rubra (ghamoriya) during summers. One should wipe off sweat and use talcum powder but excessive use of powder can cause contact dermatitis,” said Dr Sonal Sachan, a dermatologist at KGMU.
“A 30 SPF or 50 SPF sunscreen will protect you from harmful rays of the sun. However, if one is using sunscreen a lot, one should supplement it with the intake of Vitamin D, since the source of this vitamin (sunlight), is being blocked by its use,” she added.
