Let’s start with physiology. When temperatures rise, the heart rate must increase and the heart must work harder to pump the blood it needs to compensate for sweating and cool the body. Evaporation can put a strain on the cardiovascular system. Sweat disperses body heat, but also causes you to lose sodium, potassium and other minerals necessary for muscle contraction, nerve transmission and water balance.
Warm, so the sick heart is protected
How our body reacts
To counteract these losses, the body starts secreting hormones that help the body retain water and reduce the impact of salt loss. Up to this point, we are within the normal range of the organism’s reactions. But if too much is demanded of the body, the balance can be shattered. Also and especially for those who have had a heart attack or are dealing with heart failure. Because even therapies can affect this situation. Therefore, when it is hot, the risk of problems increases for those who already have cardiovascular problems or have passed a heart attack, because their heart may not be able to pump enough blood. Then there are drugs that interfere with circulatory regulation.
For example, those taking beta-blockers have a reduced heart rate which limits the heart’s ability to circulate blood faster to ensure effective heat exchange. Diuretics can increase dehydration. Vasodilator drugs (ACE inhibitors, sartans, calcium channel blockers) can promote hypotension. In short: there is the risk of a sort of ‘perfect storm’. With the heat and the spikes of humidity that can excessively lower the pressure, both due to the increase in blood flow to the skin (and to the stomach, in moments of digestion) and for dehydration.
Heart door
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How do you notice the problem
The warning signs of this condition are unexplained headaches, dizziness that arise especially when standing up, feeling “slowed” or very tired, dry mouth, contraction of urine output with very concentrated (dark and scarce) urine. And we must not forget that sometimes, almost suddenly, you can lose consciousness because the brain does not receive enough blood and somehow “turns off”. The excessive drop in blood pressure – at risk are mainly the elderly and women – is one of the most frequent causes of fainting in the summer. If standing the maximum arterial pressure drops rapidly below 70-80 millimeters of mercury, a loss of consciousness can occur (lipothymia or syncope) because the heart is unable to ensure the flow of blood (oxygen) necessary for the functions of the brain which then becomes “clouded” and loses control of the organism. A moment at risk, for those who are advanced in years and have not exactly optimal internal pressure detection systems, is the sudden transition from lying to standing position. Experts call this picture orthostatic hypotension: it is better to remain seated for some time before shooting, to give the body time to adapt.
The time of check up
“Going on vacation does not mean that illnesses go on vacation – remember Massimo Volpe, president of the Italian Society for Cardiovascular Prevention (Siprec), which promoted the development of a specific app called HeartAway for the remote monitoring of risk factors in heart patients and in subjects with cardiovascular problems. Even in healthy people, disorders related to hypotension (drop in blood pressure) can occur. For those with high blood pressure, it is better to re-evaluate therapy with your doctor. Diuretics that expose to dehydration, loss of potassium and disturbances of circulating salts in the blood should be reduced or, if possible, avoided. Watch out if you also take vasodilator drugs, such as calcium antagonists and nitro derivatives, and Ace inhibitors and angiotensin antagonists “.
On the practical front, for those who have chosen the sea and suffer from hypertension or heart failure, it is advisable to avoid sudden changes in temperature. Beware of the “ball” air conditioning if you arrive from 30 degrees or more and avoid exposing yourself to the sun for a long time and then diving into cold waters. There is a risk of congestion, especially in those who take drugs: for this reason it is advisable to enter the water gradually, avoiding prolonged exposure to the sun, during the hottest hours of the day.
Beware of sudden changes in temperature
In short. Attention should be paid to excessive heat. “But it is even more important to remember that sudden thermal variations can be even more difficult to balance for the adaptation mechanisms of the circulatory system – recalls Volpe. The sudden transition from high external temperature to much lower thermal levels, for example for systems conditioning in closed environments, may involve the need for the body to react immediately, creating a thermal “stress” that can also affect the heart “. This advice is particularly useful for those who are at the sea: it is better to go from temperatures even higher than 30 degrees to lower thermal levels progressively, without an immediate “impact, especially after one has eaten due to the risk that the available blood is” seized. “from digestion. In the home, a reasonable use of air conditioning, especially in the hottest hours, can be fine.
“It is necessary to be careful also and above all if you exceed with physical activity, perhaps requiring excessive performance from the body: exertion in a hot-humid climate can accelerate the dehydration process and excessively increase cardiac work, so it is essential to drink and make sure you have the necessary mineral salts and, above all, you must avoid the central hours of the day to do intense physical activity – reports the expert “. Among the warnings, a tip also for gourmets: even at the table you must not overdo it, avoiding to focus on coffee, carbonated drinks and alcohol to replenish liquids. Better a lot of water, cold soups, salads and fruit, preferably within light meals.
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