Heat-humidity combination lays city low, hospitals report surge in OPD footfall

Kolkata: A sudden spike in humidity, triggered by an incursion of moisture from the Bay of Bengal, has left Kolkatans sweating and panting, and scores suffering from heat exhaustion, dizziness, nausea, loss of sleep and lack of appetite. While it has been raining intermittently since last Thursday, the cloud cover has brought a flow of moisture that has led to the prevailing stifling conditions, the Met office said. Several hospitals have reported a spike in heat-induced illnesses since Thursday.

Feeling drowsy at work or while being out in the sun may indicate severe dehydration that may even lead to heatstroke, warned doctors. The prevailing moist heat, however, is more likely to cause heat exhaustion and many have been falling unconscious.

Drowsiness is a symptom of heatstroke or heat exhaustion that is often ignored, said physicians. They, however, clarified that drowsiness may not be related to heat unless one has had exposure to the sun or been dehydrated. “Since heatstroke has a paralysing effect on the brain, the patient is likely to suffer from confusion, lose mobility and feel sleepy. While this can be dangerous outdoors, it also happens indoors and often remains undetected. This could follow exposure to heat on the way to work, and strike after one has reached office. Typically, the patient may start by feeling sleepy, which can intensify into dizziness, nausea, confusion, and then a slow and gradual blackout,” said RN Tagore Hospital intensivist Sauren Panja.

Sweating is more likely to cause dizziness and exhaustion rather than heatstroke, said Manipal Hospital infectious diseases physician Sayan Chakrabarty. “Loss of fluids is common in this weather and it happens very fast once you are exposed to the sun. Despite the cloud cover, temperature is high, which has led to a lethal combination of heat and humidity. We have received numerous cases of fatigue and exhaustion triggered by dehydration, though not heatstroke,” said Chakrabarty.

Charnock Hospital has been receiving 10-12 patients a day with dizziness, drowsiness and confusion at its OPD. “Most of them are falling ill after exposure to heat for a considerable period. We are advising tests to rule out other causes but most are suffering from heat exhaustion triggered by severe dehydration. On Sunday, we treated a youngster who had fallen unconscious during PT in school. He was dehydrated and did not have a proper breakfast,” said Charnock emergency head Nishant Agarwal.

Over the past week, BP Poddar Hospital has received 25 patients at the OPD with symptoms of heat exhaustion. “Common complaints include excessive sweating, weakness, dizziness, headache, muscle cramps, nausea and profound fatigue. None of these patients required admission. We also treated two individuals in their 50s with severe heat-related illness. Both were stabilised and subsequently discharged,” said Abhijit Aich Bhaumik, senior consultant physician, BP Poddar Hospital.

He added that with temperatures remaining consistently high and humidity levels rising significantly, individuals are becoming increasingly vulnerable to dehydration, heat exhaustion and severe heat-related emergencies.

Dehydration-induced drowsiness may strike at home, too, warned physicians. “Heat exhaustion is triggered by sweating while moist heat, like the current spell, is more likely to cause exhaustion,” said Chakrabarty.

A heatstroke is usually prompted by prolonged exposure to the sun. Unless the body is able to lose the heat generated, the hypothalamus, or the temperature-controlling centre of the brain, goes haywire. It eventually collapses and stops functioning.