Currently the temperature in Nigeria is 29-41 C with some areas hotter than the other. As we all know, being exposed to heat for a long period of time is very dangerous for any Human. However, apart from the many heat related illnesses such as Overheating and Heat strokes, there are so many other dangers that too much or prolonged exposure to heat does to the body. Professor Basil Okeahialam, a professor of Cardiology at the University of Jos, Plateau State sheds more light on this issue.
In an Interview held on Saturday at Umuahia, Abia State with the News agency of Nigeria, Professor Basil Okeahialam made it known that, people who have underlying health conditions or who are prone to developing health conditions such as hypertension and heart diseases may have it fast tracked by the current weather condition in Nigeria if they do not take adequate steps to prevent this.
He said, “Yes, definitely, it does; high humidity has adverse effects on heart health; there is something we call thermal stress.
“When the temperature is high and humidity is high, the body comes under what we call intense thermal stress because much pressure is put up on the heart to make it work harder.
“As human beings, our temperatures are not permitted by nature to swing over a wide range because the core temperature has to be maintained within a narrow range for the body to function normally.
“But when temperature and humidity is high, the heart makes a greater effort to keep the temperature within the required low range because the gradient that easily removes heat from the body to the environment is narrowed.”
He further explained that when the heart comes under thermal stress,a heart that is healthy will cope perfectly “But if the heart is diseased, and needs rest to function optimally but is under thermal stress and you are giving it excess fluid, it could go into heart failure.
“Weak hearts that are presented with high thermal stress are prone to going into heart failure during weather conditions like this.”
Advising on how to stay healthy during the current weather condition, he stated that people always lose bodily fluids and electrolytes easily in a hot weather condition through sweating. Therefore, this is the time to invest in hydrating fruits such as cucumber,watermelon,cashews and so on. Also, he advised that people wear light clothes, and not stay in hot places but rather they should stay in a cool place. However, this does not mean staying under the AC for too long as this can also cause much stress for the heart.
Commenting on the guidelines given by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, he said that there is no need to avoid proteinous foods. Because Nigerians do not take enough proteins as it is. He also added “In Europe, a man may eat a quarter of a goat at a meal so the quantity of protein in a European diet may create more work for a kidney that is facing thermal stress.
“But for us here, I don’t think reducing protein is the way to go because we do not take much protein in our meals.”